The Friends of the Galapagos Islands are turning 30!

Celebrate this occasion with us on September 28, 2024 at the 

Anniversary Fundraising Dinner at Zurich Zoo.

The ticket price of CHF 250 per person includes not only the costs for the event but also a day ticket for Zurich Zoo and a donation to our anniversary project. 

Have you already checked the calendar to see if you can celebrate with us? Perhaps you have friends and acquaintances who are fascinated by the Galápagos Islands or definitely want to take a trip there. Simply pass on the invitation or bring your friends with you, because in our raffle you can win a travel voucher from DERTour Suisse AG, Dorado Latin Tours, worth 500 CHF. 

Please note the registration deadline of August 31, 2024.

Our varied programme offers a wealth of interesting information on a wide range of topics related to the Galapagos Islands.  

We are delighted that Dr Alex Rübel and the other founding members of the association will be present. We are also very pleased to welcome the Ecuadorian Ambassador, who will be happy to discuss the current situation in the Galápagos Islands.  We also want to address the current economic impact on Galapagos. We are looking forward to hearing from an experienced banker who will talk about the background and benefits of debt-for-nature swaps. 

The director of the Charles Darwin Station, Dr Rakan Zahawi, and scientists we have supported for many years have recorded messages for the occasion. This will give you a chance to meet the people we talk about through their videos. We are also looking forward to an exciting research presentation by Dr Martin Wiekelski from the Max Planck Institute. 

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Society and a generous bequest, the Board has decided to fund a future-oriented research project on the Galápagos Islands. To this end, a call for proposals was issued at the beginning of the year to researchers, universities and other conservation organisations. After much deliberation and discussion, our Board of Directors has selected a winning project from the submissions that we will present to you tonight. 

But we will start the evening with a tour of the Masoala Hall at night. Here we will go off the beaten track, which many of you will know from previous visits to the zoo. This will give you a closer look at the rainforest and its inhabitants. At dusk you can identify the animals more easily by their sounds and smells. During this tour you will also have the opportunity to see facilities in the back of the hall that would otherwise be hidden from visitors. 

After this exciting excursion into the rainforest, we will meet in the restaurant of the Masoala Hall for a relaxed aperitif as a transition to the evening programme and a fine buffet. 

We are very much looking forward to celebrating this great occasion with you. 

Photos: Dominic Ziegler, Regina Freitag, Michèle Forster Photography

• "The anniversary event was a wonderful and successful evening: the zoo guides always do a great job, with passion and professionalism. There was a delicious aperitif with speeches, which took place in the Masoala restaurant indoors. We think that everyone enjoyed it very much! The buffet was of good quality and the atmosphere was exuberant. The congratulations from various people from Galapagos as well as from the managing director, which were broadcast, and the various speeches were very well received. The raffle was also a good idea. All in all, we can agree that it was a nice evening.” - C.M.
• "As expected, the setting and food were wonderful. I had not yet had the pleasure of discovering the Masala Hall at dusk, so to speak, on previously unknown paths under expert guidance. Many thanks also to the staff of the Zurich Zoo for this great experience. There were many interesting encounters and conversations and it was exciting to listen to others talk about their experiences on the Galapagos Islands. I also learned a lot from the brief history of the association. Given the current political and social problems in Ecuador, I was hoping to hear more from the Ambassador about her country's determination to restore stability to the country. After all, this will also affect the Galapagos Islands, with their animal and human inhabitants. The ambassador was either unable or unwilling to meet this expectation. I was therefore very pleased to hear Dr Wiekelski's presentation, which for me was certainly the highlight of the evening." - A.W.
• "As dawn broke, the rainforest came to life. More and more animals made themselves heard and showed themselves to the visitors. The most prominent representatives were the red ruffed lemurs, which could be seen foraging on palm trees right next to the path in the plenum. No less noisy were the great green macaws, which could be seen in the tree nests at the top of the trail, which is only accessible with a zoo guide. After crossing the suspension bridges, the tour finally reached the lookout tower at the other end of the hall, where flying Vasa parrots, migrating ruffed lemurs and other birds could be observed as it got dark. On the way back to the restaurant, a Madagascar day gecko and a panther chameleon could almost be seen side by side.                                                                                                                                                                                                          During the transition, the aperitif started in the restaurant of the Masoala Hall. After the official welcome, Prof. Dr. Lukas Keller thanked the attendees and especially the founding members of the association, Dr. Alex Rübel, Katya Bernasconi, Andreas Wespi and Marcello Weber for coming and for their support. The Ambassador of Ecuador in Bern, Embajadora Verónica Bustamante, then addressed a few words to the audience. She emphasized the importance of preserving the rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems of the Galápagos archipelago and thanked the association for its many years of important commitment to research and the protection of nature and species in Galápagos.  Afterwards, the guests were invited to dine, where they were able to help themselves to local and Madagascan specialties from the extensive buffet and revel in Galápagos memories. Before the buffet was opened, board member Dominic Ziegler presented the milestones of the association's 30-year commitment. Thanks to the financial support of the association, numerous conservation and research projects have been successfully implemented. In addition to the managing director Claudia Haas, who unfortunately could not travel from Florida due to the waiting for her US green card, the researchers supported by the association also spoke via video, briefly presented their project and expressed their sincere thanks to the members of the association for their support. Later in the evening, Dr. Martin Wieckelski from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Konstanz/Radolfzell gave an exciting research presentation on the “Icarus” project. The project investigates the global migrations of wild animals. The animals are fitted with transmitters that allow them to be tracked using the “Animal Tracker” app. The data they provide is extremely valuable for research and for predicting natural disasters such as earthquakes. The announcement of the anniversary project that will receive the support marked the end of the very successful event. The choice fell on a conservation project for small songbirds that are particularly threatened by a parasitic fly larva, Philornis downsi.” - M.F.