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.
"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.
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