Recent News
Lionfish-zapping robots come to islandWednesday, April 19, 2017
The underwater war being waged on Bermuda’s lionfish took a giant leap forward yesterday morning as a prototype submersible robot caught one of the invasive predators via remote access.
Photos: BZS “Zoom Around The Sound” Event
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
On Saturday, 25th March, the Bermuda Zoological Society held their 25th Annual Zoom Around the Sound event. Funds raised from the walk, run, ride event assist with programmes run by the Bermuda Zoological Society run out of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
BHS students give back Trash-a-Thon
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
Florence Graham-Welton, Layla Kurt, and Elena Wright were inspired to clear Pilchards Bay in Somerset, as two of the girls who live in the area observed how much trash had accumulated in the mangroves.
BZS wins the KBB Environmental Partner Award
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
On Wednesday, 22nd February the Bermuda Zoological Society's Education department was awarded the KBB Environmental Partner Award for the 2016 Environmental Youth Conference and the Aqua Explorers Camps at the KBB Awards Presentation and AGM.
Environmentalist’s new role at Bios
Thursday, February 16, 2017
The Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences has hired environmentalist Chris Flook as its new Small Boat and Docks Supervisor.
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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.”