03 April 2006

Fantastic prizes to be won as Dee goes wild!

Submitted by: Two Oceans Aquarium
[Pressportal.co.za] On 15 March 2006 the Two Oceans Aquarium returned its third ragged-tooth shark to the ocean. Dee, a large female ragged-tooth shark, was the first shark to be displayed in the Two Oceans Aquarium in 1995. Her release was part of the Save Our Seas Foundation Maxine, Science, Education and Awareness (M-Sea) Programme, an AfriOceans Conservation Alliance initiative.
Like Maxine and Val, Dee was satellite tagged in order for us to gain important information about her movements in the ocean. Satellite tracking of ragged-tooth sharks gathers information such as location; depth; water temperature and daylight patterns which helps us to understand their behaviour and movements along the South African coast. This knowledge will assist us in protecting and conserving these ocean predators. At the time of Dee's release, the Aquarium tagged a second wild ragged-tooth shark of a similar size so that the behaviour of released captive animals can be compared to that of wild ragged-tooth sharks. In this way it is hoped that new insights will be gained into the behaviour of animals about which very little is known. Once again the public is encouraged to follow Dee’s journey and enter the Tag Competition in which they have the opportunity to guesswhere Dee’s tag will surface and win fantastic prizes. These include two-nights accommodation for two at Boulders Beach Lodge in Simonstown; a Marine Encounter Tour for two from Southern Ocean Tours; a return trip for two on the funicular at Cape Point, fynbos breakfast for two at the Two Oceans Restaurant; and two Cape Point t-shirts, all courtesy of the Cape Point Partnership; an Open Water One scuba course offered by Iain’s Scuba School; a Reef wetsuit and Brightweights weight belt; a champagne cruise for two on Cape Town’s stylish new sailing catamaran, the FujiCat, and an annual subscription to the award-winning wildlife magazine “Africa Geographic’’. All winners will also receive a Save Our Seas Foundation Conservation Pack. Entries can be made either by logging onto http://www.aoca.org.za/ or by visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium. Competition closes 15 July 2006. Members of the public who are interested in learning more about the Save our Seas Foundation M-Sea Programme and the satellite tagging studies should log on to the AfriOceans Conservation Alliance website http://www.aoca.org.za
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