GANSBAAI, SOUTH AFRICA - A Juvenile Risso’s dolphin was recently helped off the rocks at Franskraal, Gansbaai after invention from the rescue team of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. (view the video below)

The injured animal (pictured here courtesy of the Dyer Island Trust) was assisted after local residents notified the local newspaper, the Gansbaai Courant, who in turn called on the services of the Trust.

The dolphin, heavily infested with parasites, was treated by a local vet with antibiotics and anti-parasitic agents. The animal was then given a ride on the Trust’s research vessel Lwazi and released back into the ocean by the Trust’s marine biologist Alison Towner, and Dickie Chivell.

CLICK HERE to check out these reduced rates for Dyer Island Whale Watching Cruises…

CAPE TOWN - A yacht was dismasted by a whale breaching right next to it. See the dramatic pictures of the whale about to land on the boat, as well as the ensuing damage:

Whale crashes onto boat - click here for pictures

CLICK HERE for a safer option when going whale watching off the coast of South Africa…

LOUISIANA - Nearly two months after the oil well ruptured 5,000ft below in the Gulf of Mexico, the tragic effect on marine wildlife is only now becoming visible.

Suzanne Goldenberg of CommonDreams.org, in the company of a marine biologist, recently visited wildlife haven Grand Isle, Louisiana to see for herself.

With “the most volatile and toxic form of crude oil” spewing uninterruptedly into their habitat, the “wholesale slaughter of dolphins, pelicans, hermit crab and other marine life” is becoming readily visible to humans, she reports.

They encounter bottlenose dolphins swimming, eating, even mating in waters “criss-crossed by wide burnt-orange streamers of oil”.

Goldberg reports that these dolphins are all “at risk of absorbing toxins, from the original spill and from more than 1.2m gallons of chemicals dumped into the Gulf to try to break up the slick”. According to the maine biologist accompanying her “they get it in their eyes. They get it in the fish they eat and it is also possible when they come to the surface and open their blowhole to breathe that they are inhaling some of it”.

Read the full article here…

Click here for details about Kontrei’s Hermanus South Africa whale watching tour, with shark diving option…

KONTREI.CO.ZA, PAARL - A group of 750 Dutch World Cup visitors will host a local cuisine event at the Berg River Resort near Paarl, as part of the countrywide “Oranjecamping” tour in support of the Dutch World Cup team.

These Dutch fans will experience the 2010 FIFA World Cup as part of De Oranjecamping. They follow the Dutch national football team wherever they go and camp near the host city.

They travel in motor homes, 4×4 vehicles, overlander safari trucks and private cars, with three base camps in Pretoria, Durban and Paarl, where they will host regional and local food on 23 June, 2010.

Cuisine from the West Coast, Cape of Good Hope, Route 62 and the East Coast from Cape Agulhas to Hermanus will be available.

Bookings close on 4 June 2010, and ticket can be bought at the Berg River Resort.

Slow-Touring, Slow Food, Coast to Coast Across the Southernly Tip of the African Continent: Experience local cuisine and culture by joining the Slow-Food Kontrei Tour - click here!

GROOTBOS NATURE RESERVE, GANSBAAI - With their new book on the Cape Floral Kingdom at Grootbos Lodge nearing publication, the Grootbos Foundation recently revealed that the Grootbos fynbos plant list has grown to an astonishing 757 species, including six that are completely new to science.

To showcase this spectacular variety the book will include magnificent photos of Heiner Lutzeyer, and provide a comprehensive field guide to the flora of Grootbos and the Walker Bay region.

Grootbos, which is the only private tourist destination in the country whose main selling point is fynbos, will plough back the proceeds generated through the sale of the book into the Foundation, to be used towards funding further fynbos research and conservation projects.

These projects include ‘Growing the Future’ which was initiated in 2009. This innovative project aims to become a flagship for food production and training of people throughout South Africa.

Through ‘Growing the Future’ the Grootbos Foundation aims to train an number of local people in the growing of vegetables and fruit, beekeeping and the principles of successful animal husbandry. The traing course also aims to teach the principles behind successful business, as well as other skills including computer literacy, health education, numeracy and English.

Learn more about Grootbos and book your stay at Grootbos Lodge!

KONTREI.CO.ZA - DE ZEEKOE’S wild meerkats can now once again be visited in their natural habitat, thanks to a guide with more than 20 years’ experience.

The meerkats of De Zeekoe have now adapted to Devey, the new guide, and allow him to quietly bring groups of tourists to allow these peculiar creatures (the meerkats, not the tourists!) to be observed up close.

The de Zeekoe meerkats are wild and do not get fed. They also don’t have tracking devices, and - once a booking has been made - Devey goes out into the veld in advance to locate the meerkat family.

Devey’s method of finding the exact location of the meerkats the day beofre an actual tour means the meerkat viewing tours can now once again be booked with a great amount of certainty, as only really adverse weather will prevent visitors from having this unique experience.

The staff at De Zeekoe will be happy to assist you with any enquiries or bookings.

Click here now to enquire about Meerkat Tours!

• Sunrise Tours only. Bookings essential.
• Tours lasts for 3-4 hours.
• No children under the age of 10 yrs are allowed as they have to be very quiet in order not to scare the little creatures.
• Pictures can be taken with Devey’s permission.
• R450pp for guests staying with us and R550pp for guests staying elsewhere.

JUST IN: Don’t miss the new ‘Eat Green’ De Zeekoe Restaurant!

We have opened our doors to the public!

A delicious incentive A la Carte Menu with a Karoo twist. Paula and the new chef have been quite busy getting all the new tastes and flavors just right for the perfect dinner to remember.

KONTREI.CO.ZA - WITH the earth’s inhabitants now consuming increasingly more resources than the planet is able to offer, urgent changes are needed to make more effective use of the earth’s resources.

A number of business leaders recently launched the ambitious Vision 2050 Project to attempt to describe what a genuinely sustainable world by 2050 would look like, and to determine the route and means to reach that world.

According to Renewableenergyworld.com Vision 2050 - the brainchild of 29 corporate members of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) - asks, and attempts to answer 3 questions: (1) What is a sustainable world? How does today’s world get to it? What can business do to maximize the transition to a sustainable world?

For Vision 2050 the answers are to reach a situation where earth’s burgeoning population lives well and within the earth’s limited resources.

This would mean “…having access to and the ability to afford education, healthcare, mobility, the basics of food, water, energy and shelter, and consumer goods,” while at the same time “…living within available natural resources and without further harm to biodiversity, climate and ecosystems.”

Renewableenergyworld.com concludes that “the realization of the very hopeful Vision 2050 will require basic changes in the world’s governance, economic framework, ways of doing business and human ways.”

Kontrei.co.za and its Portfolio Members consciously strive to respect the limited resources on offer, and to manage their local tourism businesses in a sustainable way, while at the same time giving visitors a unique sense of place experience which will stay with them when they return to their respective homes around the world.

In this way, Kontrei believes, the local experience of sustainability can have a small albeit meaningful global effect on the urgent drive towards a sustainable planet for all.

KONTREI, PAARL - While household cleaning giants are taken to court in New York over lack of toxicity transparency, locally Zomerlust Gastehuis have had enough and are now only using non-toxic leaning products in the guest house.

Some of the biggest and most well-known names in household cleaning products in the US are facing a lawsuit for refusing to comply with state regulations requiring them to disclose which chemicals they are using in their products, as well as the associated health risks.

The first-of-its-kind lawsuit - as reported by commondreams.org - is brought by environmental and health groups at a time of growing international pressure for toxics chemical reform.

“The bottom line is that hazardous ingredients that have not been tested for long-term health impacts, like asthma or even birth defects, are being used in some cleaning products,” says Erin Switalski - executive director of Women’s Voices for the Earth - as quoted by Commondreams.org.

According to the website, “…studies show links between chemicals in common household cleaners and respiratory irritation, asthma, and allergies. Occupational exposures to some ethylene glycol ethers, often used as solvents in cleaning products, are associated with red blood cell damage, reproductive system damage, and birth defects. Some solvents in cleaning products are also toxic to the nervous system.”

According to Niël du Toit of Zomerlust Gastehuis, the guest house recently started experimenting with various alternatives to the mainstream cleaning products in an attempt to avoid possible side effects on their cleaning staff, such as skin discoloring, sinus problems and coughing.

After trying out various dilutions of vinegar and water, Zomerlust has now settled on Amway household cleaning products which produce no side effects and still work effectively.

Click here to find out more about Zomerlust Gastehuis!

BHUTAN, HIMALAYAS - If the world is suffering under a massive economic crisis it is due to “…greed, insatiable human greed,” according to Prime Minister Jigme Thinley of Bhutan.

The leader of the Bhutan Government was recently quoted by the New York Times after the first democratic elections in the tiny mountain kingdom.

After being guided by the philosophy of “Gross National Happiness” for decades, Bhutan has now adopted it as a policy in order to counter the effects of the international focus on Gross National Product (GNP), or what it sees as unbridled economic development regardless of the human and other costs involved.

Bhutan, a country with fewer than 800 000 inhabitants, has only recently (in the 1960’s) opened up to foreigners, and is fast becoming one of the most exclusive and fascinating travel destinations.

According to Bikee, owner of a travel agency specializing in cultural and “sense of place” visits to Bhutan, March and April is the spring season in Bhutan and would be the best time for a trip to Bhutan. “There is little or no rain during these times, flowers will be blooming and the ground again starts getting green after the dry and cold winter.”

Dedicated to giving foreigners a unique view and experience of the country, Bhutanese like Bikee understand what tourists need in their own pursuit of gross travelling happiness…

Click here for more information on travelling to Bhutan

On Joubertsdam during hot and calm conditions, with under water visibility of 2 metres, 7 sharks were spotted, including the return of Ilze - a 2.8m female - along with 6 other sharks. It was a beautiful day at sea with very satisfied divers!

Guest Comment: “Yet another great experience! You guys rock!” A. P., SA

View the pictures below:

More info and bookings - click here now!