icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
20 Aug, 2017 16:40

Vandals hack parts off great white shark washed up on California shore (PHOTOS)

Vandals hack parts off great white shark washed up on California shore (PHOTOS)

Souvenir-seekers are suspected of vandalizing a juvenile great white shark that washed ashore in Monterey Bay this week. The dorsal fin and some teeth were removed from the shark, which may have died after being struck by a boat.

Members of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation (PSRF) were alerted to the shark after it was discovered by surfers on Thursday evening, reported the SF Gate. When they arrived it had been swept back to sea before resurfacing again on Friday morning, when the vandals are suspected of tampering with it.

“He had a dorsal fin when he beached last night. None this morning. People can be despicable,” one commenter said on Instagram.

Now @ 24 th ave Pleasure Point - 11' GW !! Looks like he got hit by boat prop !!

A post shared by Gary Buthman (@papa_buth) on

"As a researcher and conservationist, that's valuable data," Sean Van Sommeran, director of the PSRF said, believing the vandals to be souvenir-seekers rather than poachers looking to sell the parts on the black market.

Van Sommeran claimed authorities have a lead on who is responsible for the incident.

READ MORE: Rare megamouth shark swims with diver off Komodo Island (VIDEO)

Podcasts
0:00
26:13
0:00
24:57