Recent News
Sea turtle tangled in fishing line rescuedFriday, July 25, 2014
Efforts to protect Bermuda’s sea turtles have suffered another blow.
Bermuda Reef Life HD App Free For Android
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Fans of all things under the sea now have a new way of exploring the mysteries and wonders of Bermuda’s unique marine life as the Bermuda Zoological Society’s Bermuda Reef Life HD app is now available free for Android users
Chatterbox Preschool’s Art Auction To Aid BZS
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Students at Chatterbox Preschool have recently been making waves in the art world, thanks to their recent studies about the ocean.
Blue Marlin donated for study
Monday, July 14, 2014
A Blue Marlin donated by the Billfish Tournament to the Ocean Vet team for research was hoisted for delivery to the Spanish Point Boat Club on July 11, with the 573 pound fish requiring a team of workers and several pieces of equipment to get it loaded and moved.
Minister Reports On State Of Bermuda Coral
Friday, July 11, 2014
In the House of Assembly today [July 11], Minister of Health, Seniors and Environment Jeanne Atherden delivered a report on the state of health of the coral reefs found in Bermuda’s waters and the Caribbean, citing the report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network [GCRMN] released last week.
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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 Hardy
Published Oct 23, 2014 at 8:00 am (Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 10:32 pm)
Settled: Cliffy the longtail after a failed attempt by Lisa and Dennis Whitehead to put him back in
his nest at Grape Bay in Paget. He is about one month old here
There’s a longtail named Cliffy exploring the world, thanks to the efforts of a Paget couple.
Dennis and Lisa Whitehead said a tearful goodbye this week to the longtail chick they rescued from drowning over a month ago.
“There was a nest in the cliffs just below our house,” said Mrs Whitehead, whose house overlooks Grape Bay. “We knew there was a chick in there and we saw the parents flying in and out of the nest.”
They suspected the birds were new to parenthood because the nest was a little too low in the cliff and too close to the ocean.
“A storm came up in late September and the waves were washing right into the nest,” said Mrs Whitehead. “We knew we had to do something or the chick would drown.
Safe hands: Dennis Whitehead rescuing
Cliffy the longtail during a storm that
flooded his burrow with seawater
Cliffy the longtail: All grown up and ready
to take on the world?
Longtail chicks normally take two months to fledge and leave the nest in August.“It was very late for longtail chicks. If it had been earlier in the season the proximity to the ocean would not have been a problem.”
Her husband clambered down to the nest and put the chick in a cat carrier.
“We put him back the next day when the sea had calmed down but the parents never returned,” said Mrs Whitehead.
They eventually fished the chick out again, fearing he would die.
“We took him to the Aquarium because we couldn’t feed him,” said Mrs Whitehead. “We did the right thing, because it turns out it is illegal to keep a longtail chick.”
Cliffy became one of six longtails being rehabilitated at the Aquarium. The Whiteheads visited him every week and were amazed to see how quickly he grew.
“I think he recognised Dennis,” said Mrs Whitehead. “Cliffy definitely would start to squawk and hop around when we visited.”
Just before Hurricane Gonzalo struck, Cliffy lost his appetite, a sign that he was ready to go off into the world.
Aquarium staff waited for the monster storm to pass, then released Cliffy from the roof of the Aquarium on Tuesday.