An upcoming episode of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild” series will showcase the world of critically endangered sawfish.
The new episode will take viewers through The Bahamas and Cape Canaveral, Florida spotlighting the important role local organizations are playing in sawfish protection, including Atlantis Paradise Island, an AZA accredited facility and world-class marine habitat.
In 2012, the resort became the first and only facility in the world to successfully breed and raise smalltooth sawfish, a critical step in helping to save this species from endangerment.
Founded in 2005, the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation (ABPF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to saving sea species and their extraordinary habitats throughout the Bahamas and surrounding Caribbean seas. Through scientific research, education and community outreach, the Foundation fosters the preservation and conservation of coral reefs, sea turtles, sharks, manatees, cetaceans and their Bahamian ecosystems.
Atlantis is also home to the world’s largest open-air marine habitat, where visitors have the unique opportunity to learn about and get up close to each animal.
The episode will air on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
The sawfish has had a rough time in recent years. Last February, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offered a US$20,000 (~€18,462)reward for information on who injured and killed an endangered sawfish in the Florida Keys.
In an Instagram post at the time, NOAA Fisheries said:
“We’re investigating the death of an endangered sawfish in the Florida Keys. After witnesses reported a struggling sawfish, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement officers and a [US Fish and Wildlife Service] refuge officer discovered the sawfish was missing its rostrum (the “saw” part of its nose). Officials believe it was removed between the evening of January 30 to the morning of January 31. We are offering a reward up to $20,000 for information about who injured the sawfish and/or removed the rostrum.”