Recent News

Michael Douglas To Narrate “Ocean Vet” Series
Monday, December 22, 2014

Movie star Michael Douglas has agreed to work with Gass Productions and Ocean Vet to narrate the series on behalf of Dr. Neil Burnie, the producers revealed today.


2014 Reef Watch Report Presented To Minister
Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The 2014 Reef Watch Report was formally presented to Minister for Health, Seniors and Environment Jeanne Atherden and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary,Kevin Monkman, today [Dec 17].


BZS Names Their 2014 Volunteers Of The Year
Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] announced that Darlene Fortin and Marcus Bassett are their 2014 Volunteer of the Year recipients, with the two volunteers contributing over 400 hours to our organization.


Plan to protect turtles unveiled
Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Efforts to conserve resident populations of green and hawksbill turtles have been announced.


BZS educating students about ‘magnificent marine environment’
Thursday, December 04, 2014

Famed marine biologist, explorer and conservationist, Dr Sylvia Earle once said: “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea, no matter where on earth you live.”



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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!

Call for vigilance after turtle death
Royal Gazette
Sunday, November 12, 2017

Simon Jones
Published Nov 12, 2017 at 12:07 pm (Updated Nov 15, 2017 at 5:28 am)

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Animal welfare experts have urged the public to act quickly and call the aquarium if they see signs of a turtle in distress.

The call came after a young green turtle died in the waters off Lagoon Park, in Sandys, after it got entangled in monofilament line attached to a boat mooring.

The animal had been seen circling the mooring by local residents two days earlier, but no one had realised it was trapped.

A concerned citizen contacted Patrick Talbot, the curator of the aquarium and zoo, on Sunday afternoon, but by that time the animal had died.

Mr Talbot said: “I confirmed that the turtle was spotted two days earlier hanging around the mooring by a member of the public.

“They were concerned on Saturday that there might be a problem as it was still there, but when the turtle was approached, it dove underwater and out of sight. Unfortunately, it drowned late on Sunday morning.

“We want to stress the importance of early reporting but also the importance of removing fishing line and other entanglement hazards from the water.

“Unfortunately, in this case, we were not able to get to the animal in time. The sooner we know, the better chance we have of saving the turtle.”

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Earlier this summer, a loggerhead turtle rescued by divers was returned to the sea after nine months of care.

The turtle, nicknamed “Chad” by his rescuers, was found tangled in cargo netting in Ely’s Harbour last October by Blue Water Divers.

Ian Walker, principal curator of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, said: “We are always grateful when the general public contacts us to try to save wildlife. If you suspect an animal might be tethered in place via entanglement with fishing line or other materials, please call us as soon as possible so we can investigate.

“The best number to call is the Maritime Operations Centre on 297-1010 or VHF Channel 16.

“An entangled animal that is tethered will be seen in the same place over a period of hours. “They may have trouble diving or getting their head above water and they may look like they are circling something such as a mooring buoy. In these cases, time is of the essence if we are to save the animal from injury or death.”

Dr Walker added: “Unfortunately, this is the second recent case of tethering entanglement that we have seen and we felt it was important to alert the public so they can be aware of animals in this type of distress and act accordingly.

“As always, we encourage the general public to pick up fish line and hooks if they find them discarded along our shorelines as they can become lethal traps for our wildlife.”