Enormous 24-foot shark washes up on UK beach, officials use a forklift to remove the beast

People were left stunned when a beast-sized shark washed up on a beach in the United Kingdom over the weekend and a forklift was required to haul the shark off the shore.

The onlookers saw the basking shark's carcass floating in the waters off Maidens Beach and eventually reaching the shore in Ayrshire, Scotland on Sunday (June 30).

A basking shark is the second-largest living fish found in the sea. The basking shark is also known as a 'Toothless Bruce' since it does not have teeth.

A rope was caught in between the creature's mouth and was also wrapped across its tail when it was found by Yolanda McCall. It was first mistaken by her as a whale.

After noticing the sea creature, McCall immediately reached out to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) and British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR) teams to remove the shark.

The animal was identified by animal research and rescue groups who then moved it from the beach.

Yolanda McCall said it was difficult to ascertain if the animal was alive from the shore.

How did rescuers move the giant sea creature?

“It was tangled in a long loop of rope, in its mouth and caught around its tail," McCall said.

“The creature was bobbing around in the water and we couldn’t tell if it was dead or alive.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," sheadded while speaking to What’s The Jam.

"Sadly it was dead, but it looked very complete, a recent death. Maybe it got tired trying to free itself," McCall added, further stating that the shark appeared to have only recently died.

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After the carcass had washed up onto the beach, a forklift was used to pick up the big fish and move it off the sand.

“After the tide went out, we could see the full beautiful big creature. [It was] very sad," McCall said.

In length, basking sharks can reach 30 feet. Even though their gaping jaws and massive size can appear terrifying, the toothless sharks are not harmful to humans and other fish and only consume plankton.

(With inputs from agencies)