Attempts to rescue basking shark on beach end in tragedy
WHEN YOU consider sharkinfested waters, the sea off Filey might not spring to mind.
But in a scene reminiscent of a movie, a 15ft beast sparked a major rescue mission.
It ended sadly when the creature was washed ashore dead.
The effort to save it involved a massive effort from lifeboat crews and rescue specialists.
The basking shark was stranded alive on Filey beach on Thursday evening.
Rescuers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said a large crowd of people had gathered to try to assist the creature when its medics arrived following a call at about 6pm suggesting a shark was in difficulty.
The BDMLR said: “With the help of the local Coastguard and RNLI teams, together they managed to guide the 4.4-metre long creature back into the water as the tide came in.
“Unfortunately, the shark appeared
to be struggling as it was listing consistently over to its right-hand side and circling in the shallows, sometimes needing support from the rescuers.
“Despite attempts to move it into deeper water the shark continued to head back to the beach where it restranded and later in the evening was put to sleep by a vet due to the poor prognosis.” It added: “Thank you to all Medics, Filey Lifeboat Station, Filey Coastguard, Scarborough SEA LIFE Sanctuary and RSPCA (England & Wales) who attended plus our hotline co-ordinator Teri who did what they could for the animal under these unusual and difficult circumstances.”
Footage filmed by people in the crowds on the beach and nearby cliffs showed a number of rescuers in the water dwarfed by the shark’s huge dorsal fin.
The charity said the shark is thought to have been a male and was around the size and age where it would have been maturing into an adult.
It is possible a lack of oxygen passing through its gills in the shallow water could have explained its behaviour, it said.
Basking sharks are most often seen on the west coast of the UK and sightings in the North Sea are rare, the BDMLR said.