Authorities say an injured thresher shark was spotted stuck on the rocks in the Indian River Inlet earlier this week.
Delaware’s Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police tried to free the 10-foot-long thresher shark by looping a rope around its tail and pulling it off the rocks.
Sgt. John McDerby said as their boat got closer, the shark started thrashing around, freeing itself from the rocks. It then swam into deeper water.
“After the shark had been in the water for a couple minutes, it seemed to revive itself. So maybe, with water flowing through its gills, it swam off. The last they saw it, it dove back under and they never saw it again,” McDerby said.
McDerby said Fish & Wildlife did observe injuries on the shark’s snout, which he said is possibly from its struggle against the rocks. It’s unclear if the shark was just injured, or if it was possibly sick as well.
He said they don’t have any information on whether the shark survived or not after it swam off.
If you see an injured shark, turtle, or any other animal, contact Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police at 1-800-523-3336. McDerby said an operator will ask for a location and a description of what’s going on.
They’ll assess the situation over the phone and send officers out to respond.