Jahresbericht 2004 - Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt

Dear Members, Supporters,
Sponsors, Partners and Friends,
Once again we wish to present you with our Annual Report as a way of
keeping you up to date about our efforts to protect the world’s threatened
wildlife. Your continued support is essential as the basis for all of the work
of the FZS and the “Help for Threatened Wildlife” Foundation for long-term nature
conservation. In the following report we have summarized our project activities and
are pleased to open the books on the financial situation of the Society and Foundation.
The financial statements have of course been fully certified by our auditors.
Imagine for a moment that you are in East Africa. Surrounded by hundreds if not
thousands of gnus and zebras on their long migration, imagine that you have no
choice but to stop your vehicle in the middle of the Serengeti savanna. Here and
there magnificent giraffes feed on scattered acacia trees. Some of you know this
unforgettable pageant of nature! Thanks in large part to the vision of Bernhard
Grzimek, the initiator of our conservation activities, scenes such as this still exist on
our planet. With the support of then president Julius Nyerere, it was possible to set
the parameters for the preservation of the Serengeti for future generations: an area
as large as the federal state of Hessia, virtually uninhabited and protected from agriculture
– a habitat just for the animals. Clearly, our work in the Serengeti must always
include cooperation with the people living on the borders of the reserve. The
Wildlife Management Areas and educational activities, such as field trips that allow
school children to get to know and love their native wildlife, play an important
role in this respect. We are extremely proud of this partnership with Tanzanian
authorities, which has become a model for other project areas.
We wish to express our gratitude for your continuing support over the past
year. Special mention is also due to everyone who made donations for the gorillas
in Congo, as well as to all of those who marked special occasions in 2004
with a gift to support the work of the FZS. On behalf of the Board and the Council
of the Foundation, let me extend my heartfelt thanks to our members, supporters,
sponsors and friends, and to our many partners around the world as
well as the entire FZS team.
Gerhard Kittscher, President
of Frankfurt Zoological Society
Gerhard
FZS
Kittscher
Annual Report 2004
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