GCC is thrilled to announce that long-term GCC supporter Michelle Morgridge from the Morgridge Family Foundation (MFF) has agreed to join our Board of Directors in the second quarter of this year. Michelle has been an integral part of the GCC adventure from the organization’s early days. After visiting GCC’s projects on the ground in South Africa in 2019, Michelle and the Foundation committed to investing in GCC’s transformative growth, enabling the organization to advance its important work.

Being invited to join the Board of Directors is a huge honor for her and she admits to feeling very humbled. “I think just the opportunity to think collaboratively and work together with the board to make GCC the best that it can be is what I am looking forward to most,” she shares. “I am so grateful to be invited along for the ride to see where this takes our planet. GCC has so much potential.”

Read the full announcement here!

After 7 years of hard work and the support of friends and donors like you, we’re finally proud to announce that our feature-length documentary, RHINO MAN, will be released this year! We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to share this beautiful story about conservation’s unsung heroes, the rangers that protect our wild spaces.

THE STORY

In the midst of the battle to save rhinos from extinction, a great anti-poaching ranger trainer, Martin Mthembu, has fallen, leaving a void in the fight. His close friend Ruben de Kock continues to honor his legacy by training the next generation of rangers, while ranger sergeant, Anton Mzimba, holds the line against poachers out in the bush.

RHINO MAN is more than a conservation film. It’s a very human story about friendship, love, and fighting for a cause bigger than oneself. A story we feel will resonate with a large audience and connect them to our mission of inspiring the next generation to care for the natural world.

STAY TUNED

Make sure to read each month’s GCC newsletter, visit rhinomanthemovie.org, and follow RHINO MAN on Instagram and Facebook at @rhinomanthemovie. We have so many exciting announcements to make, from partnerships for our Social Impact campaign, to featured South African musical artists, to festival screenings and more! Celebrate this amazing journey with us!

In this episode, we meet Silence Masuku from the Hoedspruit Reptile Center near the Blyde River Canyon. Reptile handlers ensure the protection and survival of reptiles to curve down their high rates of extinction. We learn about his career as a reptile handler, specifically handling venomous and nonvenomous snakes, the qualities needed, how his days usually look like and how he got the rare passion for reptiles. Mbhoni also has his first experience handling a snake!

Watch “Careers in Conservation” Episode Six Here!

GCC’s Future Rangers Program started 2022 on a high note! Schools in South Africa just reopened for the new year, and the GCC team was on hand to re-engage our students with conservation education and focus on achieving even greater strides this year.

On January 26th, GCC’s facilitators, together with the 6th grade learners of Manyeleti Primary School (located within the Kruger region), celebrated World Environmental Education Day. Our facilitators spent the day demonstrating to the learners the multiple ways that they are part of the environment and why it is their natural obligation to take care of it so it can take care of them in return. They conducted experiments to further understand the importance of trees and to educate them on how trees provide for humans, wildlife and the greater ecological environment. We ended the day with a screening of the “Careers in Conservation” K9 Handler episode. It’s always a big hit with students to watch Mbhoni running away from the anti-poaching dogs!

Mbhoni, Promise, Lefa and our facilitation team are on the ground and engaging with students every day, connecting them to the beautiful wildlife in their region and the local conservation heroes that help to protect and sustain these pristine environments. We will continue to bring you updates from the field throughout the year so that you can witness first-hand the importance of your support!