Twelve-year-old rhino conservationist Hunter Mitchell has been awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Point of Light Award for outstanding individual volunteers from Her Majesty the Queen.
Mitchell received the award from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and wife Meghan, at a reception held at the British High Commission in Cape Town this week. The young conservationist won the award for his contributions to saving rhinos, which he has been doing since he was eight years old.
“Cape Town has so much to celebrate, but I think what the two of us have been really, really impressed by, are those young people, and the young people that are here this evening,” said Prince Harry at the reception.
After receiving the award, Mitchell presented the Duke and Duchess with a gift: a rhino plushy for Archie.
Despite his age, Mitchell has done much work in the field of rhino conservation. In 2015, he began raising funds for an abandoned baby rhino at Aquila Private Game Reserve, and managed to collect R75 000. He has since been named an ambassador for the reserve.
The reserve took to social media to congratulate the young conservationist.
Picture: Facebook / Aquila Game Reserve