A homeowner got a nasty surprise when she discovered a dead shark in the driveway of her rural property.
Vicki Matchett, 62, discovered the bronze whaler’s carcass outside her farm at Coin Creek, near Goolwa, in south-eastern South Australia, on Sunday.
The chef and business owner was on her way to deliver pastries to her local market when she noticed a strange object on the grass.
“I looked around a little bit and saw this fin and thought, ‘It looks like a shark,'” Matchett said. 7news.
“If we looked closer, it was a shark, it was about five feet long.”
Hatchett said he doesn’t know who dumped the shark in his driveway and where the creature was caught.
Their rural property is about 8km from Goolwa Beach, where sharks have been sighted before.
There were several blood stains on the shark’s face and part of its fin had been torn off, but there did not appear to be any hooks or tags attached to the animal.
A homeowner got a nasty surprise after discovering a dead shark (pictured) in the driveway of her rural property in South Australia.
Hatchett said the shark (pictured) was too heavy to lift, so he had to tie the creature’s tail to the tow bar of his car and drive it to another location to bury it.
Matchett criticized the people who dumped the shark in his driveway, describing the brazen act as “barbaric”.
“It’s very disrespectful and I don’t know what kind of person does that,” he said.
Hatchett said he often finds trash and other discarded items scattered near his property.
He said the shark was too heavy to lift, so he had to tie the creature’s tail to the tow bar of his car and drive it to a place where he could bury it.
Hatchett has since let the shark rest in his orchard.
Conservationist and founder of the Shark and Ray Collective, Sarah Cameron, said she was disappointed by the inhumane treatment given to the creature.
‘I don’t think anyone accepts this kind of cruelty. “If you’re going to consume that shark, but if not, you need to safely return it to the ocean,” he said.
The South African government introduced stricter laws in December to prevent overfishing of threatened marine species such as sharks and rays.
Matchett (pictured) criticized the people who dumped the shark in his driveway, describing the brazen act as “barbaric”.
The rules, recommended by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, also prohibit recreational and commercial fishing for endangered species.
These include the whitetip shark, Oceaninc whitetip shark, and green sawfish.
People who violate the rules will be fined $20,000.
A spokeswoman for South Australia’s Department of Primary Industries told Daily Mail Australia the agency had not received any official reports indicating the incident may have been a form of dumping activity.
“As dumping of animal carcasses is a local government matter, residents should contact their local council for advice on carcass removal,” the spokeswoman said.