Bedales Pre-prep pledges support for endangered red panda
Bedales Pre-prep, Dunannie held a Red Panda Day on 13 October in support of the Red Panda Network as part of the school’s annual commitment to support an endangered species.
The red panda, which is native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, was voted as this year’s species by Dunannie children from a selection of five endangered animals selected by the Eco Committee. Threatened by habitat loss and poaching, red pandas are also frequently killed by traps intended to catch other animals such as wild pigs and deer, and there are currently less than 10,000 left in the wild.
The Red Panda Network is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities, and their conservation programmes extend to over one million acres of forest.
As well as fundraising throughout the year to support the charity, Dunannie has adopted Tenzing, a red panda named after Tenzing Norgay, the first person to climb Mount Everest. Adopting one of the six red pandas that the Red Panda Network protects gives children a greater sense of ownership of the cause.
Red Panda Day kickstarted Dunannie’s fundraising, as children were invited to wear red or something red panda related in exchange for a £2 donation – although in the interest of sustainability, children were asked to get creative with clothing they already own rather than buy anything specifically for the day.
Throughout the academic year, children will learn, discuss and participate in activities to appreciate and understand why red pandas are endangered and in need of our support. On Red Panda Day itself, children in Reception made head bands and designed red panda pictures, whilst children in Year 2 built an impressive bamboo forest habitat out of recycled wood, fabric and other materials.
Head of Dunannie Fiona Read said: “It was wonderful to see children in a sea of red clothing to help such a worthy cause championed by our Eco Committee, and I even spotted one or two creatively painted faces to look like red pandas! Thank you to the Dunannie community for their support which is helping to protect wildlife across the globe.”
