Cape Town - After five years at the Two Oceans Aquarium, Dané, a female ragged-tooth shark who called the Save Our Seas Foundation shark exhibit home, was returned to the waters off Struisbaai on March 29 by the aquarium’s curatorial staff members.
While swimming in the exhibit, Dané helped change people’s perceptions of sharks and raised awareness about her species as a shark ambassador at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Curator Paul van Nimwegen said: “Today we had the privilege of returning one of our largest ragged-tooth sharks to the big blue. Dané spent five years with us. During her time at the aquarium she was a true ambassador for her species, and educated thousands of visitors, highlighting the importance sharks play in the marine environment.”
When the team arrived with Dané in Struisbaai, there was much excitement among the Struisbaai community who gathered to watch Dané’s return to the open ocean while the Two Oceans Aquarium staff answered their questions about the release.
Nathalie Viljoen, head of research at Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, said the aquarium released ragged-tooth sharks in this area as there was an existing population that migrates along the Agulhas ridge off the coast of Struisbaai towards the warmer waters of KwaZulu-Natal.
Dané began her journey with the Two Oceans Aquarium in 2017 when she was collected off Seavale near East London, with the assistance of local angler Mike Dedericks.
Dedericks then named her after his wife Dané as it is common practice for the anglers who assist in the collection of these ragged-tooth sharks to name them.
Since the collection, Dané has called the Two Oceans Aquarium her home. During this time, Two Oceans Aquarium vet Ilse Jenkinson said she grew into a sexually mature large adult weighing 202kg and measuring 275cm in length. Now the team would like her to have the opportunity to reproduce and contribute offspring to the wild population.
Jenkinson declared the release a success as Dané showed strong and feisty behaviour throughout the day and swam with purpose into the ocean after the team carefully released her.
Viljoen explained that like other sharks released by the aquarium, Dané was tagged so that her movements could be tracked as she moves along the coast to help researchers gain scientific information about the sharks and help raise awareness of their plight in an ocean under threat by human impact.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za