Aquarium Shark Released - South Africa
Eyebrows were raised and hands applauded as a ragged tooth shark was released into the sea on Wednesday after spending eleven years in captivity. The shark was released near Arniston and came from the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Cape Town Waterfront where it was a popular attraction.
The shark, named Dee, was tagged and released as part of an ongoing conservation initiative wherein the behavior of sharks is studied by satellite. The ragged tooth shark was first transported to Struisbaai where she had an ultrasonic tag inserted into her stomach and identification and satellite tracking tags fastened to her dorsal fin. Dee's trip into the ocean started when she was put into a tank mounted on a dinghy in Arniston bay where she was then released.
Dee was the third ragged tooth shark to be released into the ocean as part of the Save our Seas program. The program is a joint venture between several conservation and aquarium groups which aims to collect and use research to preserve, protect and restore the world's oceans. It takes place on a global scale with all kinds of marine creatures and the release of South Africa's little ragged tooth sharks is only a small part of the conservation program.
