The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has congratulated the creators of the short film, The Last Ranger.

The film has been nominated in the Best Live Action Short Film category of the 97th Academy Awards.

George, who recently attended a ranger course at the Southern African Wildlife College in order to better understand the work of rangers, highlighted how timeous the Oscar nomination comes as the department intensifies the fight against wildlife poaching.

"I wish to congratulate the team behind this important body of work on choosing to highlight the plight of our rangers, a community of real-life heroes who are often overlooked. I believe that this film helps tell our rangers' story and as a result of this nomination, rangers will garner more local and international support for their work," said the Minister.

The Last Ranger short film explores the theme of rhino poaching and conservation efforts.

Set against the spectacular landscapes of the Eastern Cape, The Last Ranger tells the story of a young Xhosa girl and a female game ranger who fight to save rhinos from poachers.

The film exposes both the horrors of rhino poaching and the socio-economic complexities facing local communities. The film was directed by Cindy Lee and was locally produced by Star Films and internationally, by Kindred Films.

The Minister said the film showed the urgent need to address the resource constraints facing local rangers.

"South Africa's dedicated rangers are doing incredible work despite being massively under-resourced, and the government is committed to ensure that they have the tools and support needed to carry out their duties effectively."

George called on the local and international community to come together against poaching criminal syndicates.

"We hope that The Last Ranger not only showcases the high calibre of our South African creatives, but also showcases the beauty of South Africa's natural heritage, including our wildlife. We will be watching the Oscars with great anticipation on 2 March 2025 in the hopes that they will bring the Oscar home," said the Minister.

He encouraged all South Africans and international supporters of rangers to go out and watch the movie in their multitudes and to also experience the beauty and majesty of South Africa's national parks by visiting the country's wildlife reserves.