Recent News
Three Recipients: $100,000 Catlin Marine GrantThursday, April 24, 2014
The Catlin Marine Grant evolved from the reef-mapping work undertaken by the Catlin Seaview Survey, a series of worldwide scientific expeditions launched by Catlin in 2012 to document the composition and health of the world’s coral reefs.
Bermuda Aquarium releases Galapagos shark
Thursday, April 24, 2014
A 1.5m/5' Galapagos shark named Desmond has been released back into the wild by the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
‘Desmond’ the shark released back into ocean
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
A five-foot Galapagos shark named Desmond has been released back into the ocean by staff at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
Opinion: Ethical Question Of Dolphins & Captivity
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Recently there’s been a lot of discussion in Bermuda on the issue of keeping dolphins in captivity; this appears to have been the unintended result of Dolphin Quest announcing the births of two baby dolphins amongst their captive population.
5ft Shark “Desmond” Released From Aquarium
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
As we previously reported, on Good Friday staff at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo [BAMZ] — in conjunction with the research and camera crew of the upcoming television series Ocean Vet – released a five-foot Galapagos shark named Desmond back into the wild, requiring an intricate transportation process from start to finish.
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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!
Simon Jones
Published Feb 20, 2016 at 8:00 am (Updated Feb 20, 2016 at 11:47 am)
On the mend: doctors and marine experts at the aquarium are continuing to nurse a
loggerhead turtle back to health after she underwent a 3½-hour operation to remove a
hook from her trachea (Photograph by Akil Simmons)
A loggerhead turtle that underwent life-saving surgery to remove a rusting hook that had became embedded in her throat has started to eat for herself.
The turtle, who has been named Daisy by the hospital surgeons, is continuing to gain weight as she is monitored in a quarantine tank at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
Staff still hope to release the marine animal back to the wild later in the spring when she has gained more weight and the weather conditions are less severe.
Ian Walker, the BAMZ curator, told The Royal Gazette that it would be “several months” before the turtle could safely be released.
“She is doing well but still in our back-up quarantine tank,” Dr Walker said. “She will never be integrated into our display animals as she is deemed releasable and that is our goal. The plan is simply to get weight on her and then, presuming there no lingering health issues, release her to the wild. She is currently eating 20 squid per day and is slowly gaining weight back.”
The turtle was rescued by free divers Shaun Holland and Aaron Bean off the North Shore on December 30 and brought to the aquarium.
Scans conducted at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital revealed a hook deep in the turtle’s trachea that had caused her left lung to hyperinflate and the right lung to partially collapse.
At the beginning of last month, a team of surgeons and doctors performed an emergency tracheotomy to remove the hook before then repairing both the tissue and skin damage caused by the incision.
Dr Walker added: “Thanks to the surgery, she has resolved her buoyancy issue and spends much of her day resting on the bottom of the tank or swimming around it, only coming up to breathe.
“Her breathing has returned to normal also, and she no longer has those terrible breath sounds when she had the hook across the trachea.”