Nalini Amongst the Winners in the National WWF and First News Poetry Competition

Many congratulations to Year 8 poet, Nalini Nandeibam, who has won a national poetry competition organised by the WWF and First News, the weekly newspaper aimed at 7 to 14-year olds.

The competition attracted over 2,000 entries as poets were asked to write a poem about species affected by the environmental issues outlined in WWF’s Living Planet Report. 

The judges of the competition were bowled over by Nalini’s poem about a snow leopard, which was accompanied by a stunning illustration. 

In winning the Key Stage 3 category, Nalini wins a trip for her class to go and see Doctor Doolittle the Musical, plus a special puppetry workshop at school.  Nalini’s poem can be read in full below, and news of her success will be in this week’s First News, out today.  The WWF is one of the School's chosen charities this year.

The WWF Living Planet Report shows that populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles have fallen on average by 60% in less than 50 years (between 1970 and 2014). This is mainly due to the overharvesting and illegal hunting of animals, agriculture and loss of habitats. The most significant decline has been seen in tropical rainforests and in rivers, lakes and wetlandsaround the world.

• Report on Our Living Planet | PDF (3.85MB)

Ghost of the Himalayas - by Nalini Nandeibam

As silent as an eagle’s flight,
She stalks her prey through dead of night,
With padded paws and spotted fur,
The highest mounts bow down to her

Big bright eyes and a bushy tail,
A hide coloured in stunning detail,
Rare, elusive, shy, unique,
She lives alone among the peaks.

And still the Snow Leopard is under threat,
And still she’s hunted, we all forget,
And still her home is quickly melting,
Her prey is scarce and we’re not helping.

She’s in danger with us to blame,
To be a human-I feel ashamed,
What if we lost this majestic cat?
Only a ghost left from the past.