On Friday, July 11, the Albuquerque BioPark Aquarium hosted its annual “Shark and Ray Awareness Day” event. It highlighted these aquatic animals, bringing attention to their unique attributes and the threats to their survival.
Visitors were given a chance to meet the BioParks sand tiger, sandbar, nurse and zebra sharks.
Volunteers and docents attended tables that taught visitors about sharks and rays.
One booth featured an interactive game demonstrating how the high oil content of a shark's liver allowed it to maintain buoyancy. Others allowed guests to see the teeth and skin of sharks and rays up close, as well as the characteristic barb of a stingray’s tail. Booths on tagging sharks to track their migrations and the ability of sharks to navigate using electro-magnetic fields were available for visitors to peruse as well.
Head Aquarist Ashley Baca said the BioPark is home to members of five different species of shark and three different species of rays. Many species can be seen throughout the aquarium but others live in the touch pools, which are currently closed for renovation, so their inhabitants are currently “behind the scenes.”
Baca said she appreciates the way the animals can inspire visitors to care.
“They serve as ambassadors for people. So a lot of people, especially in the desert here in New Mexico, don't necessarily make it to the ocean,” Baca said. “So giving them the ability to experience and learn about these animals and take a little bit of an interest in protecting our oceans for the future.”
Cesar Bustillos, the BioPark’s Science Education Coordinator was responsible for putting on Shark and Ray awareness day, as well as other BioPark events.
“One of my jobs is to bring the message of conservation and awareness for all of the animals around the world, and also including the plants and insects at the BioPark,” Bustillos said.
“It’s a sad story — we're seeing the decline of sharks and stingrays out in the wild … and we want to raise awareness, because they are pretty important for ocean ecosystems,” Bustillos said. “Even though, here in New Mexico, we're 1000s of miles away from the nearest coastline, we still have a big impact on sharks, even right here in the middle of the desert, so we want to make sure everyone is aware of what's happening with sharks and how they can help with that.”
The BioPark will continue to host more special events throughout the summer. A calendar is available via the City of ABQ website.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
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