‘Shocking’: Great white shark washes up on Australian beach

In a shocking incident on a beach in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a great white shark washed up ashore. The 3.5-metre shark was seen swimming along the Kingscliff beach on the Tweed Coast on Monday (Mar 4) morning as lifeguards tracked its progress.

What happened?

The female shark was reportedly seen struggling along the shore before it washed up on the beach. Subsequently, a veterinary team from Sea World on the Gold Coast were called to assess the shark.

The shark was later euthanised and a bulldozer was called to safely carry it away for necropsy. Sea World shark bay supervisor Siobhan Houlihan told ABC that the shark was identified as a mature female.

“We’ve come down to see if there’s anything that we can do to help this animal,” said Houlihan. “Unfortunately, as we’ve got here, she’s beached herself and is not in a good way.”

She said that the team would conduct a “full necropsy” to ascertain what caused this unfortunate event to take place. Houlihan also noted that it was extremely unusual for sharks to beach themselves.

The Sea World, in a statement, said that the shark had been in poor condition and the thrashing behaviour of the shark observed before it got beached was not normal for the species.

“Sadly, the shark was in a poor condition after beaching and the Sea World veterinary team administered medications to make the shark comfortable while it was humanely euthanised,” said a Sea World spokesperson, as quoted by the Guardian.

“The shark appeared to have underlying health issues, with the thrashing behaviour seen in the shallows prior to the beaching not typical for the species,” the spokesperson added.

‘Shocking’

The rare sight attracted a large group of beachgoers given that while sharks are often spotted in the waters around Kingscliff beach, but it was very unusual to see one on the beach.

“I saw the shark in the shallows getting washed around, I could see it flapping in the water,” Kingscliff resident Rhonda Mitchell, 78, who was on a morning walk when she spotted the shark, told ABC.

She added, “It is very unusual to see a shark up close, you know they’re there, but you don't usually see them.”

(With inputs from agencies)