Recent News
Teaser screenings of ‘Ocean Vet’ seriesThursday, September 03, 2015
Excerpts from seven episodes of Ocean Vet starring the late Neil Burnie will be screened over the next two months at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.
‘Wild animal’ was actually a large cat
Monday, August 31, 2015
A “wild animal” that caused the Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve to be closed off on Friday evening was revealed to be a “rather large feral cat”, according to the Parks Department.
Police & BAMZ Attend Report Of “Wild Animal”
Friday, August 28, 2015
The police are on scene at the Cooper’s Island area in St David’s this evening [Aug 28] after what we understand to be a situation involving someone reporting the sighting of a dangerous animal.
Hopes of sea turtle breeding ground
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
A bounty of almost 90 hatched green sea turtle eggs has been discovered at the site of what is believed to be the first on-Island hatchlings for 100 years.
Turtle nest found on St George’s beach
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Green turtle hatchlings discovered on an East End beach have been labelled Bermuda’s “natural history event of the century”.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
Following the most recent shark sighting at Shelly Bay, the Ministry said it is likely the same one as seen over the past few months and said that while there is no need for alarm, “under no circumstances should anyone attempt to approach or handle the shark in any way.”
The Ministry said, “On Sunday 4th June, 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs was alerted to a shark sighting at Shelly Bay through social media and direct phone calls. An Officer attended the scene within 30 minutes of being alerted but the shark had already departed the area.
“The films circulating on social media indicate that the shark is a hammerhead [Sphyrna sp.] although an exact identification of species is not possible. The animal appears to be the same size as previous sightings over the past few months, and is likely the same animal.
“While sightings of sharks are rare in inshore Bermuda waters, especially along our beaches, it is not unheard of and there are a number of accounts in the records.
“The Ministry would like to state that there is no need for alarm in these types of events. Out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that swimmers exit the water in a calm manner and wait for the animal to leave the area before entering again. Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to approach or handle the shark in any way.
Video circulating:
“Hammerheads are typically not aggressive to humans unless provoked and account for zero fatalities annually. There are only a few instances of unprovoked attacks in all the records worldwide and these have all been attributed to much larger animals than the one sighted.
“It is not known why this animal is moving around Bermuda’s inshore water but it is likely due to the abundance of prey items notably fish, rays, crustaceans and cephalopods such as squid and octopus.
“There are nine species of hammerhead sharks globally with several species classified as endangered on the World Conservation Union’s [IUCN] 2008 Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that they are facing a very high risk of extinction due to human impacts and activities.
“The public can contact the Bermuda Aquarium & Museum and Zoo at 293-2727 or https://environment.bm/contact to a report a shark sighting inshore.”
Last month, local expert Choy Aming had made a similar point, saying he is “almost positive that the same hammerhead is being spotted repeatedly.”