LEOPARD SEAL SIGHTINGJuly 22, 2010 by dyertrustUpdate 22 July 2010- "It has been a week now since the leopard seal was found at Die Dam. We have not seen it since and we have not had any phone calls reporting a sighting, but rumuor is that the local fishermen have seen it close to their boats. So hopefully it is feeding [...]
DICT PLACES NESTS ON ICHABOE ISLAND IN NAMIBIAJuly 21, 2010 by dyertrustIchaboe (pronounced Itcha-boo) Island lies off the coast of Namibia, 50kms north from Luderitz, the closest inhabited town.Lawrence Green is his book At Daybreak over the Isles published in 1950, said of Ichaboe I had never dreamt of bird life in such profusion until I saw Ichaboe. This is one [...]
THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUEJuly 20, 2010 by dyertrustDyan deNapoli, fondly known asThe Penguin Lady assisted in the largest oil spill in South Africa in 2000, that of the Treasure.This month sees the 10th anniversary of this oil spillquite profound considering the current BP oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 38,000 penguins were affected, either directly or moved out [...]
RIP ADIN STAMELMANJuly 19, 2010 by dyertrustAdin Stamelman (25 November 1976 - 7 June 2010)It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Adin Stamelman.Adin was a Ph.D. candidate, registered with theDepartment of Historical Studies at UCT. He was working on a project that re-constructs population numbers of particular sea-bird species found on the guano islands [...]
DICT HOLDS INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS IN HONOUR OF WORLD OCEANS DAYJune 08, 2010 by dyertrustWORLD OCEANS DAY 8 June 2010OCEAN EDUCATIONIn honour of World Oceans Day, we held interactive presentations at Laerskool Gansbaai.Marine biologists,Michelle Wciseland Katja Vinding-Petersen, led a fun and interactive educational experience about the valuable part in the ecosystem that the ocean plays.The children learnt two new termsbiotic (living creatures) [...]
A FIRST FOR AFRICA AND MARINE MAMMALS BENEFITJune 07, 2010 by dyertrustWhales, dolphins, seals and dugongs were on the agenda at the1st African Marine Mammal Colloquium (AMMC)held in Gansbaai (18-21 May, 2010). Jointly hosted by the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) of the University of Pretoria and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) at the Great White House in Kleinbaai.Participants hailed from [...]
1ST AFRICAN MARINE MAMMAL COLLOQUIUMJune 06, 2010 by dyertrustMarine mammal research in southern Africa is experiencing an exciting renaissance. There has been a striking increase in the number of research groups, students and projects starting up in the region in the last few years. Collaboration is a key factor in most modern research, allowing small teams with small budgets to generate [...]
STRANDED DOLPHIN TAKEN TO IZIKO MUSEUM IN CAPE TOWNJune 05, 2010 by dyertrustOn April 29, 2010, DICT founderWilfred Chivellwas informed of a stranded dolphin. The dolphin was anIndo-Pacific Humpback dolphin(Sousa chinensis), which is a species commonly found in the waters of Gansbaai, but is in fact a rare animal in the rest of world's oceans. Humpback dolphins are named so after [...]
EXPERT SHARK PARASITOLOGIST VISITS DYER ISLAND CONSERVATION TRUST / MARINE DYNAMICSJune 04, 2010 by dyertrustWorld renowned shark parasitologist, Professor Susan Dippenaar, from theUniversity of Limpopowas invited to visit Dyer Island Conservation Trust /Marine Dynamicsto advise our researcherHennie Ottoon his study of parasites on the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Prof. Dippenaar specialises in siphonostomatoids, a tongue-twisting name for a small part [...]
FIRST STUDY OF SHARK WOUND HEALINGJune 03, 2010 by dyertrustFirst study of shark wound healingVisit our video footageUnique research by the Trusts marine biologists was featured at the recent International White Shark Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii attended by more than 100 leading researches from all over the world.Marine biologist, Alison Towner is among the first researchers to study the ability for [...]