Recent News
New lemurs arrive at BAMZTuesday, May 29, 2012
TUESDAY, MAY 29: Three new Bermuda residents—a trio of ring-tailed lemurs—are getting used to their home inside the Madagascar Exhibit at Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo.
St John’s Students “Discover Bermuda”
Friday, May 25, 2012
A group of students from Bermuda College and New York’s St. John’s University has spent most of the past fortnight exploring the Island as part of a course to “Discover Bermuda.”
Company is thanked for helping to house Orana the fossa
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Orana the fossa, a popular creature at the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo (BAMZ), had her enclosure dedicated to a reinsurance company who helped fund her home.
Zoo’s Fossa Exhibit Dedicated To RenaissanceRe
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Bermuda Zoological Society is rewarding a generous capital campaign gift by dedicating part of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo’s Madagascar Exhibit to donor RenaissanceRe.
XL employees give back
Monday, May 07, 2012
Close to 150 of XL’s Bermuda-based employees chose to spend last Friday working on community projects throughout the Island.
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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 Simon Jones
Published Sep 30, 2015 at 8:00 am (Updated Sep 30, 2015 at 12:46 am)
Environmentalists have urged the public to report marine oil spills as quickly as possible to prevent them causing serious damage to the Island’s wildlife.
The call comes after a stricken longtail covered in oil washed up close to the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club last week.
The bird was taken to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) for emergency treatment but later died as a result of damage caused by the oil.
“This immediate reporting helps reduce the spread of the spill and improves the chances of intervention to save the birds,” said a spokesman from the Ministry of the Environment.
“Most oil spills in Bermuda are small and involve light weight oils that create a sheen on the surface of the water and, because they are volatile, evaporate over a course of hours to days depending on the size of the spill.
“These tend to cause problems for wildlife because they contain toxic chemicals and exposure through the skin or mucous membranes or through inhalation of fumes can cause serious injury and death.
The Department of Environmental Protection was alerted to last week’s bird fatality and conducted its own investigation, but no spill or source of the oil could be found.
This Bermuda longtail died last week
after getting caught in an oil slick
The spokesman added: “Oil spills are a huge problem for marine life and, because it generally floats, mainly affect animals and plants that interact with the surface of the water or when it comes ashore.
“In this instance, this appeared to be a medium weight oil that both covered the tropic bird and had a toxic component.
“When oils get on to a bird’s feathers it causes a big problem for the bird. Birds feathers are designed to be naturally waterproof and it requires the feathers to be well aligned, clean and for them to interlock, much like Velcro does.
“Instinctively, birds will try and clean their feathers, which also leads to ingestion of the oil.
“This will then damage their digestive system through chemical burns and also results in poisoning. Oil spills can also have major impacts on delicate ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves.”
Oil spills should be reported immediately to Bermuda Radio on 297-1010 or by e-mailing operations@ccbermuda.bm. Members of the public can also call the Bermuda Marine Police at 247-1770.
Any injured wildlife should be reported to BAMZ on 293-2727 for collection or drop off so they can receive instant care.