A teacher’s small school initiative has raised funds towards protecting pangolins. Plus, at least 200 students have learned the importance of conservation, and are one ruler richer!!
Limpopo, South Africa (04 November 2025) – This week, the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) looped us in on an email thread that melted our hearts.
It started with an email from Liesl Hacker, a teacher at Unicorn Preparatory School in Tzaneen, who reached out to the APWG to share that she and her students had raised R4,000 to help protect pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammal.
The idea came to Liesl after she watched the Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey on Netflix. (If you haven’t seen it already, you absolutely must. The Netflix doccie is made by SA director Pippa Ehrlich, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind My Octopus Teacher).
In short, it follows Kulu, a rescued pangolin taken from the illegal wildlife trade and nursed back to health by conservationist Gareth Thomas, with support from the APWG.
It’s a beautiful story that outlines the plight of pangolins and the incredible lengths that organisations like APWG go through to protect them.
It inspired Liesl so much, she decided to make a difference.
“After watching the documentary Kulu’s Journey, I was deeply moved by the plight of the African pangolin. This inspired me to launch an outreach project at our school called ‘Pangolins Rule.’”
For an organisation that goes through such great lengths, it was only appropriate that a ruler would become Liesl’s tool of action.
“For the initiative, I sourced colourful 15cm plastic rulers and had special pangolin stickers printed to place on each one. Pupils could purchase a ruler for R20 as a contribution towards saving the pangolin.”
It worked. Liesl and her pupils raised R4,000 through the initiative. It went straight into the work that the APWG does to protect pangolins.
Plus, teachers at the primary school have also benefited from cause. Kids are going ham with their new primped out pangolin rulers.
“Not only was it a wonderful way to educate pupils about pangolins, but everyone’s classwork became noticeably neater thanks to the new rulers being used for underlining in all the right places!”
The donation has since been received and will go toward the APWG’s work at The Pangolarium, South Africa’s first dedicated pangolin veterinary and rehabilitation facility, and their ongoing work in anti-poaching and rehabilitation programmes across SA.
We love Liesl’s project because it underlines that change can start with what you have. In this case it was with a handful of rulers and a hall of pupils who got to learn that pangolins rule!
You can support the African Pangolin Working Group or learn more about Kulu’s story here.
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