Recent News
RenRe Donate $250,000 For ‘Living Classroom’Wednesday, October 18, 2017
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. presented the Bermuda Zoological Society with a $250,000 donation in support of the science education and experiential learning programs offered through the Trunk Island Living Classroom.
BZS To Host ‘Spooky Trails’ On Trunk Island
Sunday, October 15, 2017
The Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] is getting set to host “Spooky Trails on Trunk Island” on Saturday, October 28 from 6.00pm to 9.30pm.
BZS Lecture: “Introduction To Bermuda’s Bees”
Saturday, October 14, 2017
The latest installment in the Bermuda Zoological Society lecture series will see a talk presented by Mr. Tom Sinclair on the topic of “Introduction to Bermuda’s Bees.”
Turtle rescuer Josh heads to UK to study
Monday, October 09, 2017
Last year, Joshua Stephens cut free a loggerhead turtle found tangled in an abandoned cargo net in the waters off Wreck Hill.
Reef Watch calls on citizen scientists
Thursday, September 21, 2017
A programme designed to conserve Bermuda’s reefs has called on citizen scientists to help evaluate the condition of Bermuda’s coral reefs and fish stocks.
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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.”