Recent News
BZS: Pond Remediation Project A Huge SuccessThursday, January 11, 2018
The Bermuda Zoological Society’s [BZS] Wetlands Remediation Project [WRP], designated the HSBC Global Water Programme for Bermuda in 2014, said they had “great success in its efforts to make two ponds much less toxic for wildlife.”
Video: Bermuda Skink Visits Cahow Burrow
Thursday, January 11, 2018
The camera set up to film Cahows on Nonsuch Island recently caught an unusual visitor, with a critically endangered Bermuda skink stopping by the burrow, wandering around and taking a rather close look at the camera.
Pepper trees removed from Trunk Island
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Staff from captive insurance firm Artex and their family members helped remove invasive Brazilian pepper trees from Trunk Island.
Artex Team Helps Restoration Of Trunk Island
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Last week, 17 Artex employees and their family members participated in a charitable event in partnership with the Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] – a registered Bermuda charity that supports the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
Employees help restore Trunk Island
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Artex employees and their family members helped remove invasive Brazilian pepper trees from Trunk Island.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
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.”