Zimmermann Group – Sponsors become Friends and Family
June 01, 2015 by dyertrust
The 15th May 2015 marked the International Day of Families and Friends – celebrating the importance of your loved and cherished ones, close and far.
But it is not always just your blood kin that is considered family, or life long acquaintances that is considered as friends. Many a time those who whirlwind into your life – support and believe in you and your dreams also become friends and family – from a stranger walking into an establishment, to a friend in mere months.
Mr. Pierre Zimmermann is just such a man.
November 2014 he visited 
A custom designed, world-class, marine bird rehabilitation centre, the APSS will provide temporary rehabilitative care to diseased, displaced, injured, oiled and abandoned marine birds, with a special focus on the endangered African penguin. Marine bird rescue, rehabilitation and release form part of the management plan to conserve and maintain African penguins and other marine bird populations along the South African coastline.
Featuring a unique rehabilitation area with a specialised floor, laboratory and clinic, the APSS rehabilitation techniques will be honed to afford birds individual treatment with minimum stress. This maximises their rehabilitation and affords them the best chance of survival when released back into the wild. Working closely with our conservation partner CapeNature, and the Department of Environmental Affairs, the best possible rehabilitation practices will be identified and applied at this facility.
Through continued research, education and awareness programmes, the APSS, a project driven by the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) in conjunction with tourism partners Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Cruises, aims to mitigate the human impact on marine bird colonies.
Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom, who spoke at the event and officially opened the centre, said in his speech; Projects of this nature are about the common good, good for environment, good for the community and good for the country as a whole.
Although the facility was purpose built for rehabilitation of marine birds, it also caters for creating awareness around the perils our marine birds face out in the wild. An Auditorium equipped with a big screen TV, which is linked up to the Rehabilitation area – the Bird Hospital and the Laboratory/Clinic, will enable any guest who visits the facility to see what is being done behind the scenes. This will prevent added stress on the birds in rehabilitation by minimizing the amount of people allowed in the critical areas. The Auditorium also sports one way glass overlooking the final Conditioning pen – where visitors can watch our birds in final preparation for release without any disturbance or interference. Tourism drives our conservation efforts, and the biggest tool we have in conservation is by educating the public around the conservation of these species we work with intensively. A touch screen unit will contain all the information about the birds we work with, their history, and current protection and conservation efforts.
The support we received from our partners and affiliates, as well as the donations of materials from various corporates to complete the APSS have been a big vote of confidence in our work through the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, said Wilfred Chivell, founder of DICT and APSS. We are grateful to have sponsors and partners who recognise the importance of this facility in the conservation of our marine birds. We are the voice of these species that cannot speak for themselves.
Among the guests attending the launch were the Overstrand Mayor, Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, and representatives from corporate sponsors Volkswagen South Africa and Grindrod Bank.
Grindrod Bank have recently partnered up with Wildlands Conservation Trust to establish The Blue Fund, an initiative solely dedicated to fund coastal conservation projects. The APSS represents the first of such projects in the Western Cape.
We are proud to invest in our ecological heritage in partnership with organisations that are actively involved in the conservation of South Africa’s rich natural environment, said Mike Hankinson, Grindrod Ltd Chairman. As Grindrod has its roots in the maritime industry, we are also keenly aware of the importance of conserving and protecting our marine resources and are therefore especially excited about our involvement with the Dyer Island Conservation Trust.
For any further queries please contact Alouise Lynch Dyer Island Conservation Trust
Tel: 082 907 5607
Email:office@dict.org.za
