As much as you might appreciate wildlife, this is certainly not the way to show it.
The video below appears to show a shark being reeled in on a fishing line on Palm Beach, Florida. One man proceeds to drag the shark out of the water, pin it down on the beach, and pose for photographs in front of a group of people.
Ashleigh Walters, a local journalist based in Florida, shared the video in a Facebook post which notes that the “shark was put farther into water after end of video. It did not resurface for several minutes.”
This comes to light just weeks after images showed a group of people parading a Plata dolphin around an Argentine beach and taking photos. While this shark in Florida was lucky enough to be returned to the water, this dolphin reportedly had died from dehydration at some point during the ordeal.
Although there are restrictions on certain species and sizes of sharks, it is legal to catch-and-release over a dozen different species of shark within the Sunshine State, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
That said, pinning down any wild animal and posing for an Instagram photo is still not cool as the stress from the ordeal could have serious consequences for them.
Shark Capture, Release on Palm BeachVIDEO: Shark capture, release on Palm Beach(Shark was put farther into water after end of video. It did not resurface for several minutes.) WPTV #amcrew #wptvwx #beach #shark
Posted by Ashleigh Walters on Saturday, 20 February 2016
