Recent News
Goodbye to CliffyThursday, October 23, 2014
There’s a longtail named Cliffy exploring the world, thanks to the efforts of a Paget couple
BAMZ Opens Following Hurricane Gonzalo
Monday, October 20, 2014
The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo [BAMZ] remains open following Hurricane Gonzalo’s visit to Bermuda over the weekend, following its midday opening yesterday [Oct 19] as the island worked to repair the damage caused by the storm.
Aquarium and zoo open for visitors
Monday, October 20, 2014
The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) is open for business — and has been since Sunday, in spite of sustaining some damage over the weekend from Hurricane Gonzalo.
Aquarium gets overdue facelift
Monday, October 13, 2014
BAMZ will be renovating their roof and their tanks to the Aquarium. The building, which was orginally constructed in the 1920's, will be getting an update and makeover in the next six months, to improve the facility. Wildlife from the tanks have been moved to holding tanks outside.
Injured turtle released into wild
Thursday, October 09, 2014
A turtle that had to have its flipper amputated after getting tangled up in fishing line has been released back into the wild.
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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 Sara Westhead
Published Nov 6, 2014 at 8:00 am (Updated Nov 7, 2014 at 1:41 pm)
Principal curator Ian Walker inspects the damage to the Bermuda Aquarium,
Museum and Zoo after Hurricane Gonzalo struck the Island last month
It takes a great deal of time and energy to prepare your home for an impending storm — making sure your home is secure, that you have an ample supply of food and water, and, if you have pets, making sure they are kept inside and safe.
So, can you imagine the work that is involved with preparing a facility filled with animals, like the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo?
“The safety of our staff and the animals in our care is the topmost concern for BAMZ,” said head zoo keeper, Tricha Cross. “There is an extensive hurricane preparedness plan which ramps up as the storm gets closer and goes into full force once it is confirmed that the Island will be affected. A full-time zoo keeper, an aquarist and facility technician volunteer to stay in the most secure part of the facility and be here throughout the storm — they are the first ones here in the event major damages occur and need to be attended to immediately.”
Special care is taken with each and every animal to determine the best way to care for them and protect them during the storm.
“Nearly all of the animals in the zoo already have secure holding areas in which they regularly spend their nights. The animals can be locked in these holdings during times of bad weather to ensure their safety. Most of our animals were kept inside for the duration of the storm. However, some animals, like our flamingoes and multiple species of duck, do not do well herded into a building. They can actually do more harm to themselves being locked inside than can occur being allowed to ‘weather the storm’ outside, so those animals are allowed to stay in their exhibit enclosures where they are comfortable and can cope with the storm the same way they would if they were in the wild.”
There are equal challenges for the Aquarium staff, who not only had to go through their regular hurricane preparedness measures as Gonzalo approached, but also work around the ongoing construction to the Aquarium Display Hall roof and pick up from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Fay which tore down lighting fixtures, tarpaulins and other equipment that had been out during Fay’s visit.
Typically, the aquarists will fill barrels of salt water to store for after the storm, move the food from the prep kitchen to the walk-in freezer, which has a generator, and prepare special foods that will store longer. They also need to make sure that our aquatic animals are protected from any possible exposure and danger.