Yearly Archives: 2018

WHITE SHARK RESEARCH PRIORITIES

December 18, 2018 White shark experts from across the globe came together to map out the priorities for future research on the species. Our shark biologist, Alison Towner, contributed to this critical paper, as did her PhD supervisor Dr Malcom Smale, and past students affiliated with the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. “White sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, are often described as elusive, with [...]

DEEP GRADUATION

December 18, 2018 The Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s Environmental Education Programme known as DEEP works with dedicated groups of young learners and runs for three years to monitor and evaluate the impact and growth of each and every individual learner. Our aim is to expose these young learners to the field of science and conservation and serve as a forerunner for [...]

A Penguin Philanthropist

November 28, 2018 What does a real African penguin patron do for Christmas? He commissions an artist to do a painting of his beloved penguins, he uses it on his personal Christmas cards and he then donates the original painting along with a number of the Christmas cards to the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary to raise some much needed funds. [...]

MARINE MONTH COMPETITION RESULTS

November 18, 2018 In its third year, the Marine Month competition run by the Dyer Island Conservation Trust with eco-tourism partners Marine Dynamics & Dyer Island Cruises, and with the support of conservation partners, the Overstrand Municipality and Birdlife Overberg, reached 16 schools in the Overberg area. This campaign, held every October, aims to raise awareness of the importance of our [...]

FUJIFILM CAMERA SPONSORSHIP TO DICT

November 14, 2018 The Dyer Island Conservation Trust is extremely grateful to Fujifilm for sponsoring a brand new camera! The X-T100 was received by Alison Towner and Wilfred Chivell of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust on Tuesday the 6th of November in Tygerberg, Cape Town. Fujifilm expert Hein Hough handed the camera over, complete with 15-45 mm and 50-230 mm lenses. [...]

TRUST FOUNDER CAPTURED BY DUNCAN BUTCHART

November 08, 2018 Duncan Butchart is a naturalist, illustrator and photographer. He is the author and editor of numerous articles and books on wildlife, including Wildlife of South Africa (Struik Nature). Duncan has travelled the globe drawing inspiration from nature. Duncan is a specialist in ecotourism communication and created the beautiful seabird pamphlet for pelagic birding cruises with the Trust’s eco-tourism [...]

MARINE EVENING: WHALE WATCHING AROUND THE WORLD

November 06, 2018 Judith Scott presented a Marine Evening on her lifelong passion for whales, travel and photography. This whale enthusiast has been working for Dyer Island Cruises for the past three whale seasons as a guide on the Marine Big 5 tours. She first started working with whales eighteen years ago after falling in love with them at the age [...]

DEEP CAMP 2018

October 10, 2018 The Dyer Island Conservation Trust Environmental Education Programme, known as DEEP, works with dedicated learners from Masakhane Primary school. The programme started in 2016 and runs for three years, with a new intake of 12 students each year. The long-term approach enables effective monitoring and evaluation of their progress and the impact that environmental education can have on young [...]

FISHING LINE ENTANGLED PENGUIN

October 08, 2018 This fishing line entangled African penguin was spotted by the skipper of Dreamcatcher, the Dyer Island Cruises boat, just off Kleinbaai on the 17th September 2018. The penguin was heavily entangled with line tightly wound through the beak, around the neck, flippers and feet preventing the bird from swimming or diving. The penguin was exhausted and drowning was [...]

HERMANUS WHALE FESTIVAL

October 03, 2018 The Dyer Island Conservation Trust has been a participant of the educational tent at the Hermanus Whale Festival since 2009. This platform provides an opportunity to reach the 100 000 or more people that visit the annual festival. The team works hard to educate the public on the marine species of the area especially the Marine Big 5 [...]