By Erin Martin, GCBR Intern
Every year, on the 14th of July, Shark awareness day is celebrated to raise awareness and to educate the public on the importance of sharks in our marine ecosystems.
On this day GCBRs Leila Moosajee and Erin Martin; together with MAB Youth members, Katelynn Weimers and Ayabonga Stride, visited Danneprag School in Ruiterbos and took them on a trip to Shark Lab in Mossel Bay.
We started at the pond, to look at the fish and octopus, where Mr Alan Jordine educated us on the importance of sharks and interesting facts about what they eat, and what shark species are the most dangerous. We also learned that any drastic changes to their numbers can lead to unpredictable fluctuations in biodiversity. After that we went to look at the sharks; this was truly amazing for many of these children who had never seen a shark in their entire life. They were overjoyed and seeing their excitement, is one of the reasons why we do what we do. We also went to the Cape St Blaize Cave, which is 10 meters in height and 72 meters in width, where stone tools and rock art have been unearthed. It is a natural grotto with beautiful ocean view. Lastly, we visited Seal Island, where the absence of seals could not stop us from enjoying the natural beauty of our ocean.
We went back to the school where Leila Moosajee gave a presentation on Shark Awareness. The learners conducted a survey after the presentation, and it was a terrific to see how much they learned. They are wonderful kids who are eager to learn and participate. We hope that they will take what they learned about sharks and educate others on the vital role they play in our marine ecosystems.
