Did you know that much of the animal conversation efforts in our region have global impact? That’s exactly the case for “Jelly,” a zebra shark pup conceived by parents Peanut and Butter at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) and hatched this month in Indonesia.
“We’re celebrating a major global conservation milestone,” said zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller in an email “Jelly represents a significant step forward for conservation teams working to restore endangered zebra shark populations in their native waters.”
A peek inside a zebra shark gestation pod (Katie G. Cotterill/Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium)
Jelly, a female shark, came from the seven zebra shark eggs produced at the Tacoma zoo. The eggs were sent 7,000 miles across the glob to the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC) nursery in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, as part the ReShark global conservation’s StAR Project to restore wild shark populations. She arrived at 9.8 inches long, 3.5 inches in girth, and 2.5 ounces in weight—that’s about how much a slice of bread weighs, according to the zoo.
Jelly, the just-hatched female zebra shark (Image: Mardia Sultan – RARCC/ReShark)
Jelly will be reared by “shark nannies” with minimal human conditioning, then when she’s mature she’ll be tagged for post-release monitoring and released into Raja Ampat’s protected ocean habitat. Long-term monitoring is critical to process of rebuilding endangered zebra shark populations throughout their native Indo-Pacific range.
PDZA announced it had successfully produced seven genetically valuable zebra shark eggs destined for rewilding in September.
According to PDZA officials the embryos laid by Peanut and fertilized by Butter, “are heterozygous—carrying the genetic diversity necessary to support long-term species recovery.
“This is conservation in action,” said Chris Spaulding, PDZA aquarium curator. “To see pups from our adult sharks in Tacoma hatching in Indonesia and preparing for a life in the wild is extraordinary. It shows the powerful, real-world impact of global collaboration.” Learn how the StAR Program with help of organizations of PDZA, are scaling up zebra shark population rebuilding:
Zebra sharks, listed as Endangered on the 2024 IUCN Red List, have disappeared from large portions of their historic range due to overfishing and habitat loss.
When Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium reopened its renovated Tropical Reef Aquarium in 2024, it expanded its zebra shark population specifically to support ReShark global recovery work. Learn about PDZA’s shark conservation efforts online.
Check out Jelly’s first experiencing eating after her emergence from her pod with video from the RARCC:
