As part of what has become an annual event, the Two Oceans Aquarium is hosting a large contingent of COSATU pensioners today. The pensioners, from across the Cape Peninsula, are able to visit the Aquarium free of charge as part of its contribution to community upliftment. Over one thousand pensioners are expected during the course of the day and Aquarium staff pull out all the stops to ensure that their visit is an experience never to be forgotten.

The Aquarium was initially contacted by COSATU some four or five years ago and requested to assist with enabling the pensioners to visit one of Cape Town’s top tourist attractions. Over the years the numbers have steadily grown and last year an estimated 1,700 pensioners experienced the wonders of the underwaterworld.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is in a unique and privileged position to utilise its operations; resources; networks and partnerships, to create initiatives aimed at increasing marine awareness and promoting a passion for the environment in all South Africans. As such it continually and actively pursues new opportunities to benefit previously disadvantaged people of all ages. Through these opportunities it aim to position itself as an aquarium for the community and to instill a sense of pride for and ownership of the environment - including the oceans - in all people.

Tribal Meetings has been appointed by the Two Oceans Aquarium as the official professional conference organiser for the 8^th International Aquarium Congress (IAC) which will take place in Cape Town in September 2012. This decision was taken after intense scrutiny of the proposals received and took into account a number of criteria such as BEE credentials, hands-on management and experience.

Khan proved to the Aquarium’s selection committee that his company’s extensive experience in conference organisation and co-ordination, infrastructure support and destination management will ensure a professional and highly successful 8^th IAC. Further consideration was also given to the company’s commitment to social partnerships and its role in the upliftment of communities and the disadvantaged.

The IAC takes place every four years and is a prestigious and vitally important event within the public aquarium industry world-wide. The Two Oceans Aquarium is proud to have won the bid to host this event.

See more under Media Press Releases

The Two Oceans Aquarium successfully released two more ragged-tooth sharks today as part of its ongoing shark conservation efforts. The sharks, Mandy and Noodle, were released off Gordons Bay with support from Garmin Distribution Africa (PTY) Ltd, Yamaha Distributors and Gemini Marine. The weather conditions were perfect for the release and once in the water, the sharks did not waste any time in swimming off into the ocean.

Congratulations to our Deputy Head of Education, Bianca Engel, who won the Marine Educator of the Year Award at the recent MCEN (Marine and Coastal Educators’ Network) conference. Amongst many other activities, Bianca runs the successful De Beers Marine Young Biologist courses which are attended by fifty grade ten students from schools around Cape Town. One of the recent graduates was invited to represent the youth of South Africa at the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change in December 2009.

One of our teachers, Khonzani Lembeni, won the award for Best Presentation at the conference.

Congratulations to you both! Keep up the good work.

Give Mother Earth a Green Gift this Christmas

The Two Oceans Aquarium is the place to be these summer holidays and will be open daily from 09h00 to 18h00 between 12 December 2009 and 11 January 2010.

The Aquarium is at the hub of the AQUAFestival, a three-week long music and entertainment festival of world-class local and international performances. AQUAFestival tickets include a visit to the Aquarium and Shoreline Café at the Aquarium will provide catering throughout the Festival.

The Aquarium has joined forces with two of Cape Town’s other top tourist icons - City Sightseeing Open-Top Tours and the Table Mountain Cableway - to launch the Go Cape Town Card, an all-inclusive ticket for the three facilities. Visitors will pay only R360 per card, which includes a return trip on the Table Mountain Cableway, a day-ticket to the Two Oceans Aquarium and a ride on an open-top City Sightseeing Bus. Children under 18 years pay R180 per card. The Go Cape Town card can be purchased at any of the three attractions, Cape Town Tourism offices or online at http://www.webtickets.co.za/ from 1 December 2009. The cards are valid for three months from date of purchase.

An all-weather venue, the Two Oceans Aquarium is the ideal destination for families wanting to escape the heat and bustle. Jump into Frogs-Beyond the Pond and discover the world of frogs. Enjoy a cup of coffee and a snack at our indoor beach while the kids build sandcastles, watch puppet shows and create works of art. Visit the newly refurbished Shoreline Café which has been transformed into a deli/self-service facility in which you get to pick and choose your own snacks and refreshments.

For more see Media Releases.

The Save Our Seabirds (SOS) Festival aims to raise awareness of the plight of seabirds and celebrate their beauty through a series of free evening lectures and a photographic exhibition at the Two Oceans Aquarium during National Marine Week.

A SOS Festival highlight is the BirdLife South Africa/Canon photographic competition. Leading entries will be on exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium from 12 to 18 October 2009. The general public has the opportunity to choose the two winners of this competition in two ways. The mounted images are up for sale on the internet, at http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/. The winning image is the one that receives the highest bid. A second winner will be chosen from votes made at the exhibition during the week.

EVENING LECTURES:

Venue: Metropolitan Health Group & Qualsa Auditorium, Two Oceans Aquarium

Time: 18h30 for 19h00

Each lecture will be followed by complimentary cheese and wine.

Monday 12 October 2009

ANTARCTIC IMPRESSIONS by Peter Steyn

Followed by a book signing and the opening of Seabird Photographic Exhibition.

Department of Environmental Affairs celebrates 50 years in Antarctica.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

THE SECRET LIVES OF LANGEBAAN’S WADERS by Prof. Les Underhill

Wednesday 14 October 2009

SEABIRDS AS KEY CONTRIBUTORS TO MARINE ECO-SYSTEMS by Prof. George Branch.

Followed by book signing.

Note: All these lectures are FREE, but booking is essential. First-come first-served.

To book, please contact Bronwyn at BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division 021 419 7347 or email albatross@birdlife.org.za

GALA EVENING & COCKTAIL PARTY

Friday 16 October 2009 18h30 for 19h00

I&J Predator Exhibit, Two Oceans Aquarium

The Plastics Federation launches the Marine Important Bird Areas Programme with BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division.

Owl Award presentation.

Seabird Photographic Competition.

Announcement of winners and awards.

Lucky Draw Prize-giving.

NOTE: The Gala Evening is FREE, but booking is essential. First-come first served.

To book, please contact Bronwyn at BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division 021 419 7347 or email: albatross@birdlife.org.za

BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA MARINE MONTH SCHOOLS’ PROGRAMME

BirdLife South Africa and the Department of Water & Environmental Affairs is proud to partner the Two Oceans Aquarium in launching an educational programme during the

SOS Festival. Children from under-privileged schools on the Cape Flats will be taken on a tour of coastal sites to see birds and have marine and coastal environmental issues explained to them. The tour will end at the Two Oceans Aquarium for more marine education.

BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird and Education divisions have developed curricular material which

will be made available nationally. The school education programme will run at other aquariums in

Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and the Pretoria Zoo.

The SOS Festival is a National Marine Month initiative from BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division. It will run from 12–18 October 2009 in partnership with Marine and Coastal Management and the Two Oceans Aquarium.

All details of the programme and events are available on BLSA web site:

www.birdlife.org.za/page/5614/save_our_seabirds_festival_2009

We are thrilled to announce that the interactive frog screen in our Frogs Beyond the Pond exhibit was awarded Gold in the Digital Applications category of the 2009 Loerie Awards held on Saturday 26 September. The screen or ‘touch wall’ was created by Cape Town company Formula D Interactive. The screen uses an innovative way of tracking multiple hands or fingers touching the projection surface. “The Aquarium’s touch wall is the largest multi-touch screen and the first installation to deploy FTIR (frustrated total internal reflection) technology” says Michael Wolf, head of Formula D Interactive. “While touch screens and large scale projections are a common feature in museums, banks and public spaces around the world, we used cutting edge technology to allow multiple users to interact with the same interactive presentation. The result is an immersive interaction space ideal for museums, science centres, class rooms, public spaces, trade shows or any other multimedia presentation” says Wolf.

The interactive touch wall is one of the elements in Frogs-Beyond the Pond which immerses visitors in the world of frogs and invites them to ‘jump in’ to find out more about these quirky yet extremely threatened creatures. The ‘touch wall’ features an interactive explorative learning game focusing on frogs in the Western Cape. With input from herpetologist Marius Burger of Groen fame and freshwater ecologist Dr Liz Day, the screen presents various frog species including the endangered Western leopard toad and the critically endangered Table Mountain ghost frog in a selection of habitats ranging from mountain streams and permanent wetlands to suburban gardens and agricultural land. Visitors are challenged to remove the threats facing frogs in order to proceed with their explorations. An audio element is also included and visitors are able to hear the various calls of the frogs presented.

Renée Leeuwner, Tourism Co-ordinator for the Two Oceans Aquarium, came up with a great idea to re-use old conference bags. She urged all delegates attending the recent SATSA (South African Tourism Services Association) National Conference in Cape Town to bring their old conference bags along and donate them to charity. The donated bags represented an array of past conferences attended. One in particular dated back to Indaba 1998!

Through SATSA’s involvement with Tourism Industry Charity Events (T.I.C.E.) in the Western Cape, the bags were donated to the Tourism Education Trust (T.E.T.), a charity supported by T.I.C.E.

T.E.T. is a non-profit organisation which works towards educating the next generation about the fundamentals of tourism in South Africa. The delegates’ old conference bags were handed over to a school in the small town of Pniel, outside Stellenbosch. They were received with great appreciation from the children who will use them as school bags.

This initiative is proof of just one way in which the cooperation between various tourism industry players can make a difference in the community.

Thanks to all the delegates who participated in this initiative.

PLEASE REDUCE, RECYCLE AND RE-USE.

Someone messing with your environment and you don’t know who to tell? Tell us by sending us a story about environmental degradation that you care about, and ensure that South Africa gets to hear about the problems we need to fix...and you can even win some cool green prizes including a luxury weekend for two at the Spier Wine Estate, and a dive with the sharks in the Aquarium’s I&J Predator Exhibit. Other prizes include ‘green’ products from the Hemporium, Wild cards from SANparks, The Green Shop, Backsberg Wines, Penguin Books, Kyoto Clothing, Enchantrix and others.

The competition closes on 15 October 2009, and the winners will be announced at a prize evening and exhibition launch at the Two Oceans Aquarium in November.

More information about entering the competition can be found at http://www.africancarbontrust.org/ or by mailing competition@africancarbontrust.org.

See Media Releases to find out more about why the State of our Environment competition is important.

Arum lilies are in the full bloom around Cape Town and it is tempting to buy bunches of these elegant flowers. However, it is illegal to pick arum lilies 50m from a road and you need permission from the land owner. To sell these flowers on the side of the road, the seller needs a hawker’s licence (from the City of Cape Town) and a flora seller permit (from Cape Nature). Most arums for sale in our city are picked and sold illegally.

Arum lily flowers often provide shelter to arum lily frogs. These little frogs, which are found only in the Western Cape and nowhere else in the world, hide in the flowers during the day, using the pollen to camouflage themselves.

Please don’t pick arum lily flowers or buy them from the road side – you might end up taking a frog home with you!

Photo: Helen Lockhart

On 7 July 2009 the Two Oceans Aquarium transferred R34,633 to the Amphibian Ark, an international frog breeding programme in zoos and aquariums . The money was collected from donations from Aquarium visitors in the wishing well in the Frogs-Beyond the Pond gallery in the Aquarium. The well, with the heading “Small change to make big change – making cents for frogs”, is one of the interactive elements in the successful large-scale temporary exhibit which was opened by the Aquarium in partnership with the City of Cape Town in October 2008. The Aquarium joined a number of zoos and aquariums around the world which committed to similar displays to raise awareness of the plight of frogs, inform visitors on what they can do to create frog-friendly environments and raise funds for the Amphibian Ark. See more under Media Releases.

The line-up for DEEP includes seven 3-minute readings/performances by wordsmiths (Gus Ferguson, Justin Fox, Sarah Lotz, Helen Moffett, Malika Ndlovu, Henrietta Rose-Innes and a collaboration between Toni Stuart, Mwila Mambwe & Jamala Safari), seven short films (by Shelley Barry, the Blackheart Gang, City Breath Project and Kai Lossgott), two artists (Colwyn Thomas and Rebecca Townsend), a book launch (Hyphen)and a band (Benguela). Suzy Bell will MC the evening. The Book Lounge will be purveying fine reading fodder. And there will be Fairview cheese and wine...

Tickets cost R40.00 and are available on the night from the Aquarium ticket office. No prior booking needed! Doors open at 18h30 with performances starting at 19h00.

See more detail under Media Releases.

Head down to the Two Oceans Aquarium where two adults and two children (between 4 and 13 years) can enter at the price of only R180.00. The Take Four deal will save you R70 off the normal entrance price…and there is so much to see and do at the Aquarium.

How about a Little Mermaid themed party? Or Pirates for your Little Prince? Or what about a Hippity-Hoppety Frog party? Together with I&J Dippy Dunkers, the Aquarium now offers a variety of special birthday packages which include entrance into the Aquarium, party invitations, meals for the kids and much, much more.

Give Anne-Marié a call on 021 418 3823 or email at party@aquarium.co.za and she will happily send you all the information.

Four gorgeous green and black poison dart frogs have joined the live collection of frogs in Frogs Beyond the Pond at the Two Oceans Aquarium. The new arrivals can be seen in the Sappi River Meander Exhibit.

These striking little frogs were captive bred at uShaka Marine World in Durban, but their relatives are originally from the rain forests in South America.

Photo: Ushaka/SAAMBR

Two king penguins recently went on display in the Two Oceans Aquarium. The penguins, Ivan and Jennifer, are from the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria and are being housed by the Aquarium temporarily while the Zoo upgrades their enclosure.

The penguins have settled into their new surroundings and are enjoying swimming in the pool which is adjacent to the Afrisam Children’s Centre.

Jennifer and Ivan currently share their exhibit with eight rehabilitated rockhopper penguins. Both species occur naturally on the rocky shores of sub-Antarctic islands such as Marion, the Falklands and Prince Edward Islands.

The Two Oceans Aquarium urges everyone to pledge their support for Earth Hour on 28 March 2009 at 20h30.

Switch off your lights (and even any electrical appliances) for one hour and join millions of people throughout the world in calling for action to save our planet for future generations.

Earth Hour 2009 has one major aim: to unite the citizens of the world in the fight against climate change in order to convince governments and world leaders that our planet cannot wait any longer. There simply isn’t enough time, and therefore 2009 is a colossally important, if not the most critical year, to take action on climate change. 2009 is the year we decide the future of our planet.

Don’t forget—on March 28th at 8:30 pm, switch off. It’s a simple way to help make the world a better place and something we can all do.

You can pledge your support at www.earthhour.org.za

We released two more of our ragged tooth sharks earlier this month. Sam and Roy, both of which had been on display in the I&J Predator Exhibit since 2007, were released near Struisbaai on 3 and 4 March 2009 respectively.

They were both tagged with spaghetti tags so that if they are recaught there is an opportunity to gain information about how far they have travelled and how much they have grown since they were tagged.

The releases were part of an ongoing shark research programme in conjunction with leading ragged-tooth shark scientist, Dr Malcolm Smale of Bayworld in Port Elizabeth.

The Two Oceans Aquarium will extend its hours over the festive season so that visitors can relax in its cool tranquility after a long hot day at the beach or the mall.

The Aquarium, showcasing more than 3000 animals, including sharks, penguins, turtles and now frogs, will be open from 09h30 to 20h00 between 17 December 2008 and 7 January 2009. During this period, the Aquarium’s new Predator Bar will be open from 17h00 to 20h00 so that visitors can enjoy a glass of Two Oceans wine with the frogs or a shot with the sharks!

Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke out against whaling before casting the first vote for Sacred Ocean – Global Voices Against the Cruelty of Whaling on Thursday 27 November 2008.

Sacred Ocean, a global campaign to stop whaling by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW – http://www.ifaw.org/ ), opened at the Two Oceans Aquarium.

At the heart of the campaign is an iconic 3,4-metre high sculpture named Sacred Ocean by renowned cetacean artist and conservationist Noel Ashton, and which has been given pride of place in the Aquarium’s foyer.

After unveiling the sculpture, Archbishop Tutu cast the first vote to launch the campaign via a “touch-screen” installation which also provides the voter with an opportunity to send a “virtual postcard” to three friends urging them to cast their vote.

The campaign also has its own website at http://www.stopwhaling.org.za/

The Two Oceans Aquarium celebrates its thirteenth birthday on 13 November 2008. To commemorate the occasion, the Aquarium will grant all children thirteen years and under free access to the Aquarium on Saturday 15 November 2008. In addition, people who join as annual members of the Aquarium on this day will receive a thirteen-month membership (one month free). This gesture is in appreciation and gratitude to the millions of visitors who have visited the Aquarium over the past thirteen years and in particular to all Capetonians for their past and continued support.

The Aquarium’s opening hours are from 09h30 to 18h00. On Saturday 15 November, be sure not to miss the feeding of the penguins in the Sappi River Meander Exhibit at 11h30 and 14h00 and the general feeding of the fishes in the I&J Predator Exhibit at 15h00.

For more information please contact the Two Oceans Aquarium on +27-21-4183823 or aquarium@aquarium.co.za.

We are proud to announce that Team Russia, currently participating in the Volvo Ocean Race, has adopted Shoreline Café at the Aquarium as its home base during its Cape Town stopover from approximately 3 to 15 November 2008. The crew, stationed on North Wharf adjacent to the Aquarium, will be treated to the warm hospitality of Shoreline Café while enjoying a well-deserved break with friends and family in the fairest Cape.

Team Russia has joined forces with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) which is the only global non-government organisation dedicated solely to the protection and conservation of whales, dolphins and their environment. Team Russia’s Volvo Open 70 yacht, named Kosatka, Russian for orca (killer whale), in honour of the speed, agility and team work of these remarkable animals, carries the environmental message ‘We sail for the whale’ in recognition of its partnership with the WDCS.

The WDCS will host a small exhibition stand in the Aquarium during the race stopover and visitors to the Aquarium will have the opportunity to learn more about the WDCS as well whale and dolphin species in southern African waters. They will also be able to support the initiatives of the Society by signing the petition for the creation of marine protected areas and by purchasing “I sail for the whale” merchandise.

For more information please refer to PRESS RELEASES on our website.

Frogs-Beyond the Pond is now open and proving to be a great success with visitors of all ages. From the entertaining and delightful puppet show, Your Friend the Frog, to the giant touch wall (the first of its kind in South Africa), the exhibit is fun, informative and completely unexpected in the Aquarium. Besides giant arum lily flowers and toadstools, an oversized tap and wishing well, there are surprise sculptures hidden throughout the exhibit such as caterpillars, lady bugs, butterflies, ants and even a frog or two. A plasma screen in one corner reveals the incredible beauty and colour of frogs. Live frogs such as arum lily frogs, an endangered Western leopard toad and a giant bullfrog can now be seen in the Sappi River Meander Exhibit.

Besides the opportunity to learn about why frogs are disappearing off the planet and why they are important to humans, Frogs-Beyond the Pond will change your perception of frogs forever. Do not miss this amazing exhibit!

Frogs-Beyond the Pond is a Two Oceans Aquarium / City of Cape Town initiative.

The Two Oceans Aquarium, in partnership with the Cape Town International Convention Centre Bureau, is thrilled to announce that it has successfully won the bid to host the 8^th International Aquarium Congress in 2012. Competing against facilities in Europe, the Aquarium’s bid means that the Congress will be held not only in Africa, but also in the southern hemisphere, for the first time!

The Two Oceans Aquarium, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, is set to open a major new exhibit hall in September 2008 in recognition of WAZA’S (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Year of the Frog 2008.

Frogs - Beyond the Pond is a themed and highly interactive gallery which we are creating to raise awareness of the plight of frogs, to inform you on what you can do to create frog-friendly environments and to raise funds for the Amphibian Ark http://www.amphibianark.org/.

Featuring an enchanted garden where everything is larger than life, the exhibit includes a giant touch screen, the first of its kind in South Africa, and sees the return of the ever popular puppet theatre. In a new show, Your Friend the Frog, a western leopard toad undertakes a journey, fraught with the dangers of impenetrable garden walls, speeding cars and hungry herons, from a suburban garden to a beautiful wetland to find his mate.

Throughout the ages frogs have captured our imaginations and have inspired numerous myths, legends and folk tales. More importantly, frogs being sensitive creatures, are key indicator species in all the environments in which they are found. Globally frog species are disappearing at an alarming rate and we should take heed of these warning signals. Losing frogs means that we are losing our natural systems – the very systems on which we depend for our existence.

For more on this story please look under Media Press Releases.

The Two Oceans Aquarium pays tribute to all South Africans living with HIV – both those infected or affected by the virus.

In recognition of the global HIV crisis, a dramatic Aids Ribbon can be seen around the centre rock in the I&J Predator Exhibit, the Aquarium’s main exhibit, on 1 and 2 December 2007. The ribbon is to remind visitors to the Aquarium of the many people living with HIV, of the thousands of children who have been orphaned by the pandemic and of those who have dedicated their lives to alleviating suffering and educating others about the disease. The ribbon also calls all visitors to get tested and know their status.

The Aquarium has pledged to donate a percentage of the revenue generated through visitation over these two days to an organisation which assists those infected or affected by HIV.

Further, as part of the Aquarium’s CSI commitment, it hosts an annual AIDS Day Christmas Party on or close to World Aids Day. This year a group of Aquarium staff will visit the Morningstar Educare Centre in Bloekombos on 4 December 2007. The Centre cares for approximately 50 children aged between 1 and 5 years and who are in desperate need of basic materials as well as some loving care.

The Aquarium staff, who will be accompanied by Silver, the Shark mascot, will treat these children to a fun-filled day including a delicious lunch, face-painting and a visit from Father Christmas and his Fairy bearing wonderful gifts!

The Two Oceans Aquarium calls on all South Africans to contribute towards alleviating the suffering of those infected or affected by the HIV pandemic.

If you would like to contribute to the Morningstar Educare Centre AIDS Day Christmas Party please contact Anne-Marie Flanagan at the Two Oceans Aquarium on telephone 021-418-3823 or email Annie-Marie.Flanagan@Aquarium.co.za.

Together we can turn the tide.

Our four Cape fur seals, Mullet, Daisy, Terminator and Dosy, will be leaving the Two Oceans Aquarium on 16 October 2007. This is an exciting move for us and them as they will be joining a dynamic seal team at uShaka Marine World in Durban. Their relocation gives us the space to develop a spectacular Antarctic Exhibit.

A juvenile green turtle was found washed up on Muizenberg beach by a member of public. The turtle was very weak due to dehydration and exposure to the cold water of False Bay. He was brought to the Aquarium and nursed back to health by our aquarists and can now be seen swimming contentedly amongst the colourful tropical fish in the Indian Ocean Gallery.

This month we welcome the arrival of several new animals to the Aquarium!

A large short-tailed stingray was introduced to the I&J Predator Exhibit at the beginning of July and she was recently joined by three magnificent ragged-tooth sharks on 17 July 2007.

The ray, named by Paris by our Curatorial staff, was collected by aquarist, Derick Neethling, while fishing from a boat on the outer reefs near Struisbaai. Paris caused great excitement amongst the locals in Caledon – the Aquarium’s truck broke down on Caledon’s main road and Paris had to be transferred from the 4000 litre holding tank on the truck to a 2000 litre holding tank towed behind our Landcruiser!

The ragged-tooth sharks were collected off the beach at Sea Vale, which is about 30 kilometres south of East London. Roy Martin, the official ‘’tagger’’ for Bayworld in Port Elizabeth, assisted our staff in collecting the sharks and was given the honour of naming them. The female sharks are named after Roy’s daughters, Samantha and Jessica. The male is named after Roy himself.

Tinus Beukes stablises a shark in the transport tank. Photo: D. Warmerdam

The Indian Ocean Mosaic Exhibit in the Indian Ocean Gallery is proving to be very popular with our visitors. The mosaic, which includes both live displays and spectacular photography of tropical scenes by Geoff Spiby, features a wide variety of tiny sea creatures. These include butterflyfish, pufferfish, stonefish, gobies, needle urchins, mantis shrimp, cleaner shrimp and cleaner wrasses. Did you know that the Emperor of Japan is a marine biologist and has dedicated his whole life to studying gobies. In fact, he has a full research laboratory in his palace!

We will soon say Bon Voyage to Bella and Billy, two of the original set of ragged-tooth sharks, which have enthralled our members and other visitors to the Aquarium for the past eleven years.

Like Maxine, Val and Dee, Bella and Billy will also be tagged by Dr Malcolm Smale of Bayworld with assistance from Mike Meyer from Marine and Coastal Management. The scientists will attach a variety of tags, including a satellite tag, which will be programmed to surface 4 months after their release. The satellite tags will continually gather information on their location; the depth at which they swim and water temperature over the four month period.

Follow Bella and Billy as they travel along our coast and enter the Tag Competition in which you have the opportunity to guess where their tags will surface and win fantastic prizes. Details of the competition will be announced shortly in the media and on http://www.aoca.org.za/ and http://www.aquarium.co.za/.

Staff members of the Two Oceans Aquarium have devised a successful method to cut the strap bands, rope, fishing line etc from the necks of seals lying on the decks outside the Aquarium. For some time Assistant Curator, Claire Taylor and Technical Manager, Vincent Calder, have been working on various methods to deal with these injured seals, the sight of which has distressed Aquarium staff and members of the public.

Every day Assistant Curator, Claire Taylor, snorkels under the decks where the injured seals are basking in the sun. In many cases she manages to snip the offending rope, wire etc without the seals even being aware of her presence! So far, she has managed to cut 16 nooses. “I am thrilled that this approach is working – although obviously in some cases the nooses have cut so deeply into the seal’s flesh that it is impossible to cut. Also the seals are wild and sometimes it’s not so easy to catch them unawares” said Taylor. “But I am determined to cut as many nooses as I can and hopefully do this faster than the seals pick them up,’’ she continued.

See Media Press Releases for more on this story.

Feeding time in the I&J Predator Exhibit (daily at 15h00) and the Kelp Forest Exhibit (Wednesdays and Sundays at 12h00) is always a spectacular sight and visitors are able to see Aquarium divers hand-feeding the fishes, rays, turtle and sharks. The shark feed at 15h00 on Sundays is always a thrilling experience. The penguins in the Sappi River Meander are fed twice daily at 11h30 and 14h30. Visitors can also watch the seals being fed daily. For correct times, please contact Visitor Services on telephone +27-21- 418-3823.

I&J Predator Exhibit - 15h00 daily

Kelp Forest Exhibit - Wednesdays and Sundays - 12h00

The Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF), which is gaining recognition for its efforts in shark conservation and awareness in Cape Town, encourages the public to rethink the shark these holidays and to keep shark-human encounters in perspective.

The SOSF Rethink the Shark campaign, which is being driven by the AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, in collaboration with the Two Oceans Aquarium, will run from 15 December 2006 until 15 January 2007. The public should look out for the mobile billboard doing the rounds at all the beaches in False Bay; the Rethink the Shark commercials on large screens at BP Blue Route, Shell Paradise Motors, Caltex in Camps Bay, and Shell Ultra City False Bay petrol stations and on plasma screens at Cavendish and Somerset Mall cinema booking areas; Rethink the Shark posters; Rethink the Shark peak caps which will be handed out on beaches and a Rethink the Shark competition in the Weekend Argus which will run for three weekends starting on 16 December 2006. Fantastic prizes are to be won.

For more information please visit www.aoca.org.za and www.saveourseas.com

Photo: Michael Scholl

A dramatic Aids Ribbon, in recognition of the AIDS crisis in our country, can be seen around the centre rock in the Aquarium’s main exhibit, the I&J Predator Exhibit. The Two Oceans Aquarium pays tribute to all South Africans living with HIV - either infected or affected by the virus.

Please contact the Two Oceans Aquarium on 021-418-3823 for further information.

Forthcoming Teacher Workshops:

Science and the Ocean 11 – 15 September 2006

Making science simple, using the oceans. We will explain concepts such as waves, the relationship between depth, pressure, volume and temperature and much more.

Coral reefs are the ocean’s equivalent of the tropical rainforests. They are the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the ocean and are home to thousands of marine animals, including one quarter of the world’s marine fish species, including Nemo! Find out more about coral reefs and the threats which they are facing.

Andy Colquhoun (Cape Town), whose estimate was spot on 700km, won first prize. He will enjoy a getaway break for two at the Boulders Beach Lodge, Simonstown; a Marine Encounter Tour from Southern Ocean Tours and return tickets on the Cape Point funicular, a fynbos breakfast at the Two Oceans Aquarium Restaurant and Cape Point t-shirts, courtesy of the Cape Point Partnership.

Janine Rademeyer (PE) wins second prize with her estimate of 705km. She wins an Openwater One Scuba Course offered by Iain's Scuba School, a Reef Wetsuit and a Brightweights weightbelt.

Third prizewinner, Stuart Thomson (Cape Town), who estimated a distance of 712km, wins a champagne cruise for two on the Fujicat catamaran and annual subscription to Africa Geographic.

Each winner will also receive a Save Our Seas Foundation Conservation Pack.

Dee was the third of the Two Oceans Aquarium's large ragged-tooth sharks to return to the ocean. Like Maxine and Val, she was tagged with a satellite tag to provide us with in-depth information on her journey. These releases are part of the Save Our Seas Foundation M-Sea Programme, an exciting shark conservation initiative in conjunction with AfriOceans Conservation Alliance.

Photo: First prize-winner Andy Colquhoun is congratulated by Gill Victor of the Aquarium.