TACOMA, Wash. — Two Indo-Pacific leopard shark pups with ties to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium have been released into waters off Raja Ampat, Indonesia, as part of an international effort to restore the endangered species in the wild.
The pups, Jelly and Bestie, were released in late August near the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre nursery on Kri Island, the Tacoma zoo said.
An image of Bestie. ( courtesy Mark Erdmann/Reshark)
Their parents, leopard sharks Peanut and Butter, produced seven genetically valuable eggs at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
The eggs were sent to Indonesia, where Jelly and Bestie hatched and were raised through the StAR, or Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery, Project. The project is part of the global ReShark initiative.
Jelly was the 76th Indo-Pacific leopard shark released through the StAR Project in Raja Ampat.
Bestie was the 80th pup released and marked the end of Indonesia’s 2026 pup release season.
Researchers fitted the sharks with different satellite tags to monitor how they adapt to their native habitat. Jelly received a fin-mounted SPOT tag that provides a GPS location when she surfaces.
An image of Jelly. (courtesy Mark Erdmann/Reshark)
Bestie received a MicroPAT tag designed to detach after about three months and collect diving data, along with GPS locations at the time of release and tag recovery.
Jelly was released with the StAR Indonesia team. Local schoolchildren who adopted and named Bestie helped return her to the ocean.
“This is exactly what we hope for when we talk about conservation,” Chris Spaulding, a curator at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, said in a statement. “Their releases are a powerful reminder that conservation partnerships can have an impact thousands of miles from home.”
Indo-Pacific leopard sharks are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The species has disappeared from much of its historic range because of overfishing and habitat loss.
Peanut and Butter can be seen at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s Tropical Reef Aquarium in Tacoma.