Two people have reported finding a shark in a swimming pool at a Florida condo.
Nicole Bonk told Sun Sentinel she witnessed two boys dumping a shark into the pool at a block of apartments in Hypoluxo, Florida, during one night a couple of weeks ago. Bonk and her husband went to the poolside to investigate and found a 1.5 meter (5 foot) blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) struggling for life in the swimming pool water.
This species of shark can grow to almost 2.5 meters (8 feet) and can be found off coasts across the United States, Central America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Although they are most commonly found in shallow and warm coastal sea waters, this hardy species has also been found living in estuaries and brackish water (salty fresh water).
Together, the couple pulled the shark out of the pool and carried it to the nearby coast, the Intracoastal Waterway. However, it appears the shark was in a very poor state after being subjected to the toxic chlorinated water.
"We tried to revive him but he mostly likely did not live," she said. "He was barely moving after the trauma. We did our best to try to save this creature."
The incident was reported to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is continuing an investigation into what exactly went on.
"These two kids, they came back from fishing and threw this half-dead creature into the pool as a prank," Bonk added. "They left the shark in the pool to die. I think they're terrible children because it's animal cruelty."
