Williamstown North students ask Richmond Football Club to help stop tiger mascot’s extinctionFiona O’Doherty
Hobsons Bay Leader
November 23, 2015 WILLIAMSTOWN North Primary School students are urging Richmond Football Club to consider the fate of its club mascot — the tiger.
The Save the Tiger Fund estimates there are about 3200 tigers left in the wild, down from an estimated 100,000 just a century ago.
The school students recently wrote to the football club urging it to contribute $1 from each of an estimated 50,000 club memberships renewals to the fund, through Melbourne Zoo.
Students are also collecting old mobile phones for donation to the zoo’s program to protect wild gorillas.
Students Ava and Stella have guided the campaign including holding a striped T-shirt day to help raise money for the fund.
“Tigers are such beautiful animals and they need help before there are less numbers in the wild,” said Ava.
Stella said the football club could have an extinct animal as its mascot.
“It would be quite said,” she said.
But club spokeswoman Jamiee Damon said the club was not able to support the school’s initiative due to its commitment to preferred charity partner, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
“As much as we would love to, it is impossible to support every community initiative that approaches us,” she said
“The club wishes the students the best of luck with their project.”
She said the club had 51,212 members for 2016.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/west/williamstown-north-students-ask-richmond-football-club-to-help-stop-tiger-mascots-extinction/news-story/7927eacbfe4589602cce9e0b5d7b62b4