Recent News
BAMZ Releases Ten Rehabilitated LongtailsWednesday, September 11, 2013
Since July, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo [BAMZ] has had 15 longtails brought in for rehabilitation, thanks to calls from the public, including three adults and 12 chicks. To date, 10 have already been released, and one will be released soon
Reef Watch set to become an annual event
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Over 100 people participated in the first ever Reef Watch hosted by the Bermuda Zoological Society that raised more than $21,000 for reef conservation awareness
Recently Held “Reef Watch” Hailed A Success
Friday, September 06, 2013
On Saturday [Aug 31], 21 boats made their way to over 40 reef sites around the island to take survey of the state of the coral, color and quantity of specific types of fish.
Reef Watch was fun and useful… …and volunteers are wanted all year round
Friday, September 06, 2013
Who knew that armed with just mask, snorkel, clipboard and a hula-hoop you can become a citizen scientist?
Reef Watch raise more than $15k
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
The inaugural Reef Watch citizen science research and awareness drive on Saturday has so far so far raised some $15k.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
Following the most recent shark sighting at Shelly Bay, the Ministry said it is likely the same one as seen over the past few months and said that while there is no need for alarm, “under no circumstances should anyone attempt to approach or handle the shark in any way.”
The Ministry said, “On Sunday 4th June, 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs was alerted to a shark sighting at Shelly Bay through social media and direct phone calls. An Officer attended the scene within 30 minutes of being alerted but the shark had already departed the area.
“The films circulating on social media indicate that the shark is a hammerhead [Sphyrna sp.] although an exact identification of species is not possible. The animal appears to be the same size as previous sightings over the past few months, and is likely the same animal.
“While sightings of sharks are rare in inshore Bermuda waters, especially along our beaches, it is not unheard of and there are a number of accounts in the records.
“The Ministry would like to state that there is no need for alarm in these types of events. Out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that swimmers exit the water in a calm manner and wait for the animal to leave the area before entering again. Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to approach or handle the shark in any way.
Video circulating:
“Hammerheads are typically not aggressive to humans unless provoked and account for zero fatalities annually. There are only a few instances of unprovoked attacks in all the records worldwide and these have all been attributed to much larger animals than the one sighted.
“It is not known why this animal is moving around Bermuda’s inshore water but it is likely due to the abundance of prey items notably fish, rays, crustaceans and cephalopods such as squid and octopus.
“There are nine species of hammerhead sharks globally with several species classified as endangered on the World Conservation Union’s [IUCN] 2008 Red List of Threatened Species, meaning that they are facing a very high risk of extinction due to human impacts and activities.
“The public can contact the Bermuda Aquarium & Museum and Zoo at 293-2727 or https://environment.bm/contact to a report a shark sighting inshore.”
Last month, local expert Choy Aming had made a similar point, saying he is “almost positive that the same hammerhead is being spotted repeatedly.”