The Bear Grylls Adventure Welcomes Fin-Tastic New Arrivals In Time For Shark Awareness Day
- Thursday 14th July 2022
- Shark Pups
With Shark Awareness Day celebrated on 14th July, this announcement is the perfect way to celebrate this incredible group of animals.
Nova - a Blacktip Reef Shark who has been at the attraction since it first opened back in 2018 – has given birth to the first 3 pups to be born at The Bear Grylls Adventure: 2 males and 1 female, in a jaws-ome achievement for the site. With Shark Awareness Day celebrated on 14th July, this announcement is the perfect way to celebrate this incredible group of animals.
The team have worked closely with Nova from her mating with fellow Blacktip Reef Shark Comet in May 2021, through the 55 week gestation period, and to the birth of the pups. The process was monitored throughout as part of a larger scientific publication focussed on shark breeding, and the team’s careful observations meant that Nova was isolated from the main oceanarium on the morning of 2nd June 2022, with the pups born by 1pm that afternoon.
The Bear Grylls Adventure’s dedicated Aquarist team have continued to monitor the pups through their critical growing stage, with a regular feeding routine, and consistent observations of the trio to ensure they are all eating, growing, and developing safely. These observations will continue across the next few months, with plans to then transfer the two males to another Merlin Entertainments attraction.
Wibke Jansen, Displays & Dive Manager at The Bear Grylls Adventure, said:
“This is an incredible accomplishment for the displays team here at The Bear Grylls Adventure, and I’m over the moon for Nova and her pups. The whole family are doing really well and will continue to be monitored by our dedicated aquarists.”
Home to almost 1,000 creatures, including Black Tip Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks and Cownose Rays, The Bear Grylls Adventure’s purpose-built tank allows guests to take the plunge into a new underwater world, exploring the unique environment inhabited by these beautiful creatures.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has officially listed Blacktip Reef Sharks as Near Threatened due to overfishing and threats from larger predators, making displays such as the one at The Bear Grylls Adventure so important, and proving this as a success story for British marine conservation.
Since their opening in 2018, The Bear Grylls Adventure has worked with The Shark Trust, the leading UK-based shark conservation charity, to raise awareness and contribute to the urgent conservation of global shark populations. A percentage of each Shark Dive ticket sold at the attraction goes towards the work done by The Shark Trust. Each guest that dives with sharks at The Bear Grylls Adventure makes a financial contribution to The Shark Trust as part of their ticket purchase, forming a partnership that both educates guests and supports further projects with The Shark Trust.
Paul Cox, Managing Director of The Shark Trust, said
“We know from visitor research at The Bear Grylls Adventure that participants come out of the Shark Dive experience with a renewed appreciation of sharks, and a desire to learn more and get involved with their vital conservation…”
Bear Grylls said
“We are so proud to partner with the Shark Trust, to highlight the importance of shark conservation, to further education and to allow our visitors to really engage and understand these majestic creatures.”
Young Blacktip Reef Sharks develop exceptionally quickly, growing by up to nine inches per year during their first two years of life, and gaining weight at a rate of 100 grams per week. The team at The Bear Grylls Adventure is excited to watch the pups progress over the next few months and is looking forward to continuing their work in raising awareness around conservation.
Just a few minutes’ walk from Birmingham International Train Station, the attraction boasts an array of activities to challenge adventurers of all ages, abilities and experience levels. More information can be found at beargryllsadventure.com
More information regarding Merlin’s Conservation, Welfare and Engagement programme can be found at www.merlinentertainments.biz/responsible-business/animal-care-and-conservation/sea-life-conservation-welfare-engagement/
More information about the Shark Trust can be found at www.sharktrust.org/
