Recent News
Seal Named “Northlands”, Set To Leave IslandMonday, March 20, 2023
The seal who was found on Clearwater Beach last month has officially been named Northlands — with Ruby Dill naming the seal after her granddaughter’s school — and Northlands will soon be traveling to the USA with the aim he continue his rehabilitation before being released back into the wild.
Plans Being Made To Send Seal To The USA
Saturday, March 18, 2023
The seal that was found in Bermuda last month — which is only a few weeks old — is “eating six pounds of fish a day, gaining weight, and generally doing well,” and plans are being made to send him to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, with the same facility that accepted the seal that was found here in 2019, set to assist again.
BZS Trunk Island Cottage Receives Upgrade!
Friday, March 17, 2023
Thanks to the unwavering support of our donors, the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) has recently completed renovations to the cottage on Trunk Island – the BZS Living Classroom, the jewel in the crown of BZS education. The renovations have expanded the footprint of the current island classroom to encompass an expansion of the sheltered porches for outdoor learning while also providing storage areas for teaching tools.
Over 500 People Attend Lionfish Chowder Event
Friday, February 24, 2023
Chiko&T’s Restaurant won both the People’s Choice and Judge’s Awards at the BZS Lionfish Chowder competition, while The Cloud at the Waterfront, Wahoo’s Bistro, the Loren and the Spot Restaurant claimed second and third place honours.
HSBC Announced as Lead Sponsor of BZS Micro Forest Project
Monday, February 20, 2023
With the impacts of climate change being felt more and more each year, the need for reforestation projects has arguably never been more important and urgent. The Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) today announced that HSBC has thrown its weight behind increasing Bermuda’s biodiversity, as Lead Sponsor of the BZS Micro Forest Project – Bermuda's Official Micro Forest Initiative.
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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.”