In Australia, a live shark was dumped on the doorstep of The Standard’s Raglan Parade office in Warrnambool shortly after midnight on April 22.
Fortunately for the shark, a local resident passed by, saw the shark, and alerted the police.
“I’d just come out of McDonald’s and there was another gentleman there and he told me there was a shark on the doorstep,” the man said to the Standard. “I thought he must have been drunk . . . but I put a spotlight on it and the shark was just sitting there perfectly still and you could see its gills going.“
Since the man didn’t have a phone with him, he drove to the police station, hoping someone there would believe him.
“I said to the policewoman at the counter: ‘I’m not sure how to explain this but there’s a shark on the front door of The Standard and it’s still alive’ and she said ‘what?’. It’s not something you hear about every day.“
The man said he drove home and told his girlfriend, who didn’t believe him. To convince her, he took her to The Standard’s front door where they found police officers busy pouring water over the poor shark to keep it alive.
The officers responsible for saving the shark and bringing it back to sea were Constable Jarrod Dwyer and Acting Sergeant Greg Cresell who, after pouring water over the animal, loaded it into their divvy van and transported their unusual passenger to the ocean.
“I nursed it on the front seat (of the divvy van) and we took it to the breakwater and put it back in the water near the boat ramp,” Constable Dwyer said. “It was literally right on the doorstep of The Standard.” He said the shark swam off when placed in the breakwater.
Acting Sergeant Cresell said it was one of the most bizarre incidents he’d come across in his time as a police officer.
“We’ve had some strange things in the van before but never a shark,” he said. “We wanted to save it and the longer it was out of the water the worse it was for it.”
The approximately 60 cm long fish has been identified as a Port Jackson shark by Ian Westhorpe, senior fisheries officer with the Department of Primary Industries. The Port Jackson shark is a common southern species but not often taken on a hook.
Not returning a fish to the water if you don’t intend to keep it is an offence, Westhorpe explained, and it will usually result in an on-the-spot fine.
“These laws are there to encourage the humane handling of fish,” Westhorpe said.
He also added that a Port Jackson shark isn’t dangerous to humans, except for the two venomous dorsal spines located near the dorsal fins.
Warrnambool police are investigating the incident and wish to speak with anyone with information.