Raggies swim back into view at Cape Town aquarium

26 June 2017 - 14:58 By Tmg Digital/Timeslive
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A Ragged-tooth shark in Durban.
A Ragged-tooth shark in Durban.
Image: Nikita Ramkissoon

The sharks are back at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.

Three ragged-tooth sharks will be released into the aquarium’s renovated predator exhibit on Tuesday‚ followed by another three on Friday.

The exhibit’s previous “raggies” were tagged and released when it was closed for renovations a year ago. The replacements were caught with fishing rods off East London and held in tanks at the Pure Ocean fish farm before being driven to the aquarium.

Said curator Maryke Musson: “I am really excited about having some impressive-looking ragged-tooth sharks back‚ not just because they contribute to a beautiful and somewhat dramatic display with a strong ocean conservation message‚ but because we can also continue with our shark research.”

The new artificial rock at the centre of the exhibit contains a hidden medical pool which will be used to tend sick animals.

Sharks will dominate the new predator exhibit‚ with the possible addition of sardines and kob. Raggies grow up to three metres long and weight about 290kg in weight. They migrate annually from KwaZulu-Natal to the Cape‚ and are widespread across the globe.

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