The Dr. Rimington Award recognises passionate individuals who have greatly contributed to the conservation of wild tigers. We have two winners and three runners-up for the children’s and youth category this year who have proven you’re never too young to save tigers! 

Here’s an insight into their incredible work….

1. They’re raising vital funds to support tiger conservation

This year’s winner of the Dr. Rimington Children’s Award is Anis Khalif. Anis at the age of 8 inspired hearts and minds through her fundraising appeal to raise money to buy camera traps for WWF-Malaysia’s tiger research project in Royal Belum State Park. She raised an incredible USD5,000 and the camera traps will help to track and count tigers in Royal Belum State Park, spot poachers and help preserve other endangered animals in the area.

Thanks to young people like Anis who raise money to support tiger conservation, vital survey work like this can continue.

2. They walk the talk

When Bipin isn’t talking about conservation on the local radio or educating his school friends he’s busy putting his conservation knowledge into action. The winner of this year’s Dr. Rimington Youth Award is from the indigenous Chaudhary community in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Bipin’s dedication to protecting tigers and other wildlife is impressive. On conservation days he participates in local rallies, he has a history of rescuing animals and has built a thriving eco garden at his school. 

We have no doubt the Terai Arc Landscape is a better place for wildlife thanks to Bipin and his efforts!

3. They really care about the future of tigers and share this passion with the world

Li Qiao is a member of her school group ‘Young Pioneers’ and one of this year’s runners up for the Dr. Rimington’s Children Award. Li Qiao’s passion for tigers can be seen in everything she does whether it’s through poetry, exhibiting her tiger art or creating fun ways to share the wonders of tigers with her family, friends and classmates. At nine years old she’s sharing her passion for tigers and successfully inspiring those around her to care about tigers too.

Li Qiao’s passion for tigers is infectious and we can’t wait to see what she does next!

4. They’re speaking up for tigers

When you speak up for something you believe in, people listen and in Nikodem’s case this is exactly what happened. As a runner up for the Dr. Rimington Children’s Award, Nikodem started out by setting up an eco club called ‘Planet Guardians’ at his school where he could share his knowledge of tigers and the natural world with his classmates.

But Nikodem wanted to do more and so he contacted WWF-Poland to ask what else there was he could do. Until Nikodem is old enough to work in tiger conservation his most powerful tool is his voice, so WWF-Poland provided him with an opportunity to share his passion and knowledge about tigers with the youth of Poland. 

This is just the start for Nikodem and you can read more about his love of tigers in his interview on WWF-Poland’s website.

5. They’re influencers!

Armani Kowachee is an 11 year old celebrity hip-hop dancer and influencer based in Malaysia. When she’s not dancing she supports WWF-Malaysia by sharing important messages about their tiger conservation work on social media. Armani is the runner up for the Dr. Rimington Youth Award for her great work as an advocate for tigers among the youth of Malaysia!

Recently Armani collaborated with WWF-Malaysia for Earth Hour and Global Tiger Day 2020, sharing her passion for tigers with her 68,000 Instagram followers, encouraging her fans to support Malayan tiger conservation efforts. 

Thank you to the Rimington family for continuing their support to WWF and supporting the next generation in their efforts to protect tigers and the natural world.