Update: June 2026

Big things are happening for the zebra shark pups descended from our shark pair, Peanut and Butter! Through our partnership with global conservation coalition ReShark, healthy zebra sharks that hatched last year have officially graduated to a protected sea pen in Indonesia. There, dedicated local “shark nannies” care for the growing pups while minimizing human interaction, helping prepare them for life in the wild.

Once they reach the appropriate size, these endangered sharks will be tagged and released into the waters of Raja Ampat through the StAR Project, a groundbreaking effort to restore wild zebra shark populations.

Update: January 2026

All seven zebra shark eggs produced at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium have successfully hatched in Indonesia.

Original story: Nov. 2025

The first pup from the seven zebra shark eggs produced at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and sent on a groundbreaking global mission to restore wild populations has officially hatched! The female pup, now named Jelly, emerged at approximately 9.8 inches long, 3.5 inches in girth, and 2.5 ounces in weight (roughly the weight of a slice of bread).

ReShark, the global conservation coalition powering this international rewilding effort, shared delightful video clips of Jelly attempting to eat her first live food, along with new photos from the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC) nursery in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, where she was born.

Jelly is now under the care of local aquarist teams (“shark nannies”), who will raise her with minimal human conditioning. Once she reaches maturity, Jelly, like all sharks in the StAR (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery) Project, will be tagged and released into Raja Ampat’s protected ocean habitat, which includes a network of nine Marine Protected Areas spanning more than 5 million acres and a region-wide shark and ray sanctuary.

The StAR Project includes a comprehensive post-release monitoring program, combining active acoustic telemetry with citizen science reporting to track survival, movements, and adaptation to the wild. This long-term monitoring is essential to rebuilding endangered zebra shark populations throughout their native Indo-Pacific range.

Jelly’s hatch marks a tangible result of the conservation milestone announced in September, when Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium announced it had produced seven genetically valuable zebra shark (Indo-Pacific leopard shark) eggs destined for rewilding.

The embryos, laid by Peanut and fertilized by Butter, are heterozygous—carrying the genetic diversity necessary to support long-term species recovery. Unlike embryos created through parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction), these resulted from natural mating and are therefore significantly more impactful for rebuilding wild populations.

“This is conservation in action,” said Chris Spaulding, Aquarium Curator at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. “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.”

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. The StAR Project, powered by ReShark and supported by more than 100 aquariums, governments, NGOs, and research institutions worldwide, is the first large-scale initiative to breed sharks in human care and return their eggs to native waters for population recovery.

Dozens of zebra sharks have already been reintroduced through the project, and Jelly represents the newest hope for the species’ future.

When Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium reopened its renovated Tropical Reef Aquarium in 2024, it expanded its zebra shark population specifically to support this global recovery work. Peanut and Butter were intentionally paired to maximize genetic diversity- a decision now paying conservation dividends across the ocean.

Guests can see Peanut and Butter in the Tropical Reef Aquarium and even book an Eye-to-Eye Shark Dive for an immersive, underwater look at the species behind this international success story.