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.

Bella and Billy were removed from the I&J Predator Exhibit yesterday. They were transferred to a temporary holding pool on the roof of the Aquarium where they will be monitored closely and prepared for their release at sea at the end of March. They will join Maxine, Val and Dee who were tagged and released in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively as part of the Save Our Seas Foundation Maxine, Science, Education and Awareness (M-Sea) Programme which is an AfriOceans Conservation Alliance initiative in collaboration with the Two Oceans Aquarium.

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/.