Recent News

Video: Shark Makes ‘Visit’ To Shelly Bay Beach
Monday, June 04, 2018

Yet another video of a shark has gone viral, this time with footage appearing to show the shark coming in close to shore at Shelly Bay Beach.


Say no to Plastics
Friday, June 01, 2018

Today, June 8th, is World Oceans Day, and the theme for this year is the prevention of plastic pollution to encourage healthy oceans. On World Oceans Day, people around our blue planet celebrate and honour the ocean, which connects us all.


Kids donate birthday money to BZS
Friday, June 01, 2018

Instead of spending their birthday money on video games or the latest dolls, on Monday 14th May 11-year-old Oliver "Olly" Cherry and 8-year-old twins Hayleigh and April Cherry presented Dr. Ian Walker, curator of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, with a donation of their birthday money to be put towards the Bermuda Zoological Society's education programmes.


Choy goes to “Raw” at the Florida Aquarium
Friday, June 01, 2018

Last month BAMZ Aquarist, Choy Aming, was able to attend the Regional Aquatics Workshop - RAW - at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, thanks to the funding from the Bermuda Zoological Society. The workshop took place from 14th-18th May, and according to Choy it was an intensive 5 days.


MSA students raise money for the BZS Amphibian Project
Friday, June 01, 2018

On Wednesday, 28th March the students of the two Mount Saint Agnes' grade 3 classes held their "TOAD-ally Terrific tag sale", a fundraising event for the Amphibian Project which is supported by the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS). After the two-day event, the students were able to raise over $1,300 for the Amphibian Project.



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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!

BAMZ shark goes wild
Bermuda Sun
Monday, March 19, 2012

3/19/2012 3:57:00 PM
Department of Conservation Services Press Release

MONDAY, MARCH 19: The Department of Conservation Service today announced that it has released its seven-year-old male Galapagos shark back into the wild for health reasons.

The Galapagos Shark is a species of Requiem Shark, which live in reefs like Bermuda’s, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling fish and squid.

Due to their slow reproductive rate and heavy fishing pressure their global population is in decline and as such it is recognized as a threatened species.

For the last six years the 6.5-foot-long Galapagos Shark named “Osbourne” has been a star attraction in the Northrock Tank at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ), along with a Black Grouper.

About a year ago Osbourne started developing a rubbed rostrum (nose) in the tank due to competition from the grouper.

Aquarium staff tried to reduce the aggression between the two through various training methods but were unsuccessful and as such plans were made to return the shark to the wild this summer.

However, two weeks ago the hostility between the grouper and shark escalated and the shark’s condition deteriorated.

As a result Principal Curator Dr Ian Walker made the decision to move up the release of the shark for his well being.

Dr Walker said: “The decision to relocate the shark was not made lightly as sharks need to constantly have water flowing over their gills and can go into shock from stress relatively easily.”

With assistance from Dr Neil Burnie and Choy Aming from the Bermuda Shark Project, Aquarium staff and volunteers moved the shark onto a fast boat using a specially made sling and placed it in a shark transport box.

Once on the boat the shark was monitored carefully and had water pumped over it gills while it rested upside down in a relaxed state known as tonic immobility.

After arriving seven miles off north shore at Northrock, the shark was released over the side of the boat and aquarist Steve Davis and Dr Burnie monitored its progress from the water as it swam away.  

Dr Walker said: “The whole process went very smoothly. Osbourne was released with a satellite telemetry tag, donated by the Atlantic Conservation Partnership, which will provide us with very useful information on his swimming patterns and to some extent his wellbeing.

“We wish him well.”