Stranded whale shark dies

11 February 2010 - 08:38
By Benita Enoch

A seven-metre-long whale shark has died on the Scottburgh beach after becoming stranded on the rocks.

The KZN Sharks Board's Geremy Cliff says the shark beached on Tuesday night just in front of the caravan park.

He says they believe the shark swam too close to the shore and became accidentally stranded.

A post mortem - carried out yesterday - shows it was in an otherwise healthy condition.

"The shark just had a few superficial scratches from being washed over the rocks. We did a small incision and we found that the stomach was full of very very small shrimp like animals. The stomach-full of food suggests that it was in a healthy condition."

And Cliff says this species of shark isn't a threat to swimmers.

"Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, growing up to 18-metres in length, but they are in fact gentle giants of the sea in that they are  plankton feeders and they pose absolutely no threat to human safety at all."

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