Forget a bigger boat, you're going to need a forklift for this massive dead shark. When a 24-footer washed on shore in the United Kingdom, beach officials needed a forklift to remove the beast. Just check out the crazy photos below.
It was a basking shark. Basking sharks are the second-largest living fish in the oceans, so it makes sense that the creature wasn't eas to move. Onlookers saw the basking shark going up and down the shoreline of Maidens Beach in Scotland. At the time, something appeared wrong with the animal due to its swaying. At first, onlookers thought it was a whale given its size.
Beach-goer Yolanda McCall, of Ayrshire, said she didn't know if the creature was alive or dead. "The creature was bobbing around in the water and we couldn't tell if it was dead or alive," she told What's The Jam. "I wanted to try to help it, if it was alive and floundering, so I put on a wetsuit and got in the water to check." However, they quickly realized the shark was dead.
"It was tangled in a long loop of rope, in its mouth and caught around its tail," McCall said. "Maybe it got tired trying to free itself."
24-foot shark washed up on a Scottish beach and was discovered Sunday evening.
It had a rope caught between its mouth and wrapped around its tail. They had to use a forklift to remove it from the beach.
Sad to see such a great creature end like this. pic.twitter.com/4aeOvuW7ta
— Paul A. Szypula ?? (@Bubblebathgirl) July 3, 2024
It was a recent death. The shark died due to the fishing rope. She contacted British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) to help with the removal. Once the fish washed to shore, they used a forklift to pick it up and move it.
"After the tide went out, we could see the full beautiful big creature," McCall said. "[It was] very sad." It's not even the biggest that the sharks can reach. They can reach up 30 feet. However, this species is completely harmless to humans. It doesn't have any teeth, so it's definitely a shame.
One person wrote online, "That is incredibly sad....that rope and netting are wreaking havoc in the oceans killing so much marine life..." Another wrote, "That is sad. I'm not a fan of anything than could or would eat me but it hurts my heart to see any of God's creatures suffer and pass." Another wrote, "3 tons of him."
Yet another person wrote, "I'm not sad. We need to bring back shark hunting. Way to many of those things in the waters."
