Recent News
You can help with reef surveyWednesday, June 18, 2014
Budding environmentalists are again being urged to volunteer to help monitor the health of Bermuda’s reef systems.
Citizen scientists invited to participate in Reef Watch
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Islanders are being invited to become citizen scientists while helping to protect Bermuda’s reef system at the second annual Reef Watch event.
Plans Gear Up As Reef Watch 2014 Approaches
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Reef Watch 2014 is scheduled for Saturday, June 28th and members of the community are invited to become Citizen Scientists and participate in an island-wide effort to help monitor the health of Bermuda’s reef systems.
Staff and volunteers praised for their work
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The volunteers, staff and organisations that helped to make Bermuda’s celebration of World Oceans Day a success are being praised for their “amazing work”.
Charities benefit from $303,640 raised by Catlin End-to-End
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The Catlin End-to-End Walk raised more than $300,000 for a host of local charities.
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Latest News
All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
By Jessie Moniz
Published April 4, 2013 at 8:37 am
North Carolina University verterinary students visiting Nonsuch Island
North Carolina University verterinary students dissecting a turtle
North Carolina University verterinary students talk about Longtail rehabilitation
with Lynn Thorne, staff member at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo
Bermuda has won high praise from a veterinary science professor who found the Island a perfect laboratory for studying semi-tropical ecology.
Greg Lewbart recently brought a group of 15 veterinary students from North Carolina State University to do a range of studies at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
“I first started thinking about a field trip to Bermuda after I brought my mother in 2008. I had been promising to take her for 27 years,” said Dr Lewbart, who’d studied at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, now the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences, in the 1980s.
He arranged with long-time friend Ian Walker, the curator at BAMZ and a fellow aquatic animal veterinarian, to host a programme for the students at the facility.
One of the highlights for the students was dissecting green turtles and examining their stomach contents.
“We saw some things we normally don’t see in North Carolina,” said Dr Lewbart. “We do see sea turtles in North Carolina but not always this species or age. We saw some interesting parasitic lesions that we normally don’t see. Typically, most of the turtles we see are older and loggerheads, a different species. We didn’t see any trash in their stomachs but we saw a lot of food. Most of the sea turtles we do see have been cold-stunned and haven’t been eating for a while, so their gastrointestinal tract is usually empty.”
The group met with government conservation officer Jeremy Madeiros and visited Nonsuch Island. One of the thrills on that trip was seeing a Bermuda skink, as many of the students were interested in reptiles. They also saw two cahow chicks.
“This was a highlight for everyone, especially for myself and my wife as we are interested in birds,” said Dr Lewbart. “It was hard to even articulate how wonderful it was. We saw much of the Island and learned a lot about the history.”
They also heard a lecture about whales from Andrew Stevenson and then went whale watching to see the marine mammals up close. Students screamed with excitement when a whale breached in front of them.
“I hope we will come again some time,” said Dr Lewbart. “The trip really exceeded our expectations.”