Recent News
Three Flippered Turtle Released Into The WildFriday, February 07, 2014
After over a year of recuperating at the Bermuda, Aquarium, Museum & Zoo [BAMZ] after losing a flipper, a green sea turtle was released into the wild recently, dropped off about five miles east of Bermuda.
Bermuda TV series gets the green light
Friday, January 31, 2014
A new television series showcasing Bermuda’s precious marine life has been given the green light.
Morning walk about at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Lemurs are primates found only on the African island of Madagascar and some tiny neighboring islands. Because of its geographic isolation, Madagascar is home to many amazing animals found nowhere else on the Earth.
Service with a smile gets Peg ‘seal of approval’
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The best waitresses serve breakfast with a smile, no matter what, or who, they are serving.
Zoological Society receives a boost from the family of a man who worked there for 40 years
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Bermuda Zoological Society have been given a $2,000 boost thanks to the generosity of the family of the late Wakefield and Mildred Trott.
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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!
A loggerhead turtle named ‘Chad’ — who was found entangled in cargo netting last October — was released into the waters off our coast last week after a lengthy rehabilitation at Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo [BAMZ].
“Divers from Blue Water Divers found Chad floating in Ely’s Harbour in October of last year. Chad was in considerable distress because he was tightly entangled in a massive amount of cargo netting,” the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said.
“The Blue Water team removed the netting but discovered that Chad could not dive below the surface so they brought Chad to BAMZ.
“Dr. Ian Walker, Principal Curator at BAMZ, examined the loggerhead. There were significant grooves in the marginal scutes of the carapace [grooves in edge of top shell] which would indicate that the turtle was entangled for a long time. It took about 10 days for Chad to start diving to the bottom of his enclosure.
“One theory for the buoyancy problem is that turtles hyperinflate their lungs as a survival mechanism. Since they are air breathers, making themselves positively buoyant would assist them staying at the surface to breathe in spite of the weight of the net. Another theory is that this is how their bodies respond to an infection.
“There were numerous locations where the shell was ulcerated and there was a concern the turtle was septic and therefore would not have a very good prognosis. Dr. Walker and the team knew Chad needed food, antibiotics, a clean environment and time to recover. The aquarists kept Chad well fed and clean. Happily, he began eating an average of 1.5lbs of herring a day shortly after his arrival.
“The healing process took quite a while; turtles can be quite resilient but they take their time getting better. Winter water temperatures slowed things down but as the water started to warm up, the healing moved along nicely. The loggerhead was examined monthly to assess the ulcerated shell. There were several spots that needed new bone growth.”
Roma Hayward, Animal Care and Quarantine Officer, was responsible for debriding the wounds monthly to assist with the healing process.
“Chad survived a terrible ordeal and has healed well,” she said. “He will have a microchip and flipper tags in the event he shows up somewhere else. He will be able to be identified and it signifies that he was captured before.”
The Department added, “Of the seven turtles species around the world, five have been found locally with the most common being Greens and Hawksbills followed by Loggerheads. Bermuda normally gets post-hatchlings [younger than a year] in the winter and spring that get washed in with sargassum weed but Chad is unusual in that he is much older.
“Unlike the other turtles found in the Atlantic the loggerhead pelagic [open ocean] stage is quite protracted as these animals spend many years drifting with the currents and sargassum. Chad is expected to eventually settle in the Eastern Atlantic to start the next stage of his life.
The Department also noted that Chad may not, in fact, be male, as his caregivers are unsure of the gender at this time since Chad is in the intermediate stage of development [neither juvenile nor adult]. These turtles do not develop any sexual dimorphic features until adulthood.