- A British woman filming the ordeal called Leigh Cobb can be heard screaming
- She demands the men put the animal back in the water as they struggle with it
- It is not clear if the men on the shore are the ones who caught the hammerhead
- Shark seen swimming free but has since died, meaning potential federal charges
A hammerhead shark thought to have been caught by a group of fishermen has died.
Disturbing footage of the animal struggling as a group tried to remove a hook from its mouth emerged last week, with the British woman filming the ordeal screaming at the men on the beach to put the shark back in the water.
The 45-minute battle on the beach in Singer Island, Florida, ultimately led to the shark’s death and now federal charges are being considered.
A hammerhead shark thought to have been caught by a group of fishermen has died
Disturbing footage of the animal struggling as a group tried to remove a hook from its mouth emerged last week, with the British woman filming the ordeal screaming at the men on the beach to put the shark back in the water
Leigh Cobb, a diver with more than 20 years experience, filmed from her boat which was bobbing offshore.
She can be heard yelling expletives at those on the beach and screaming: ‘They can’t get the hook out. Get him in the water.’
It is illegal in Florida to fish for hammerhead sharks, and although the incident has yet to be reported to he Fish and Wildlife Commission, it is thought an investigation will take place.
Talking at the time of the incident, Cobb told CBS-affiliate WPEC she didn’t think the animal would survive.
She has been vocal in support of environmentalists since the incident, and said that those who supported shark fishing were ‘simply young, uneducated, animal abusers’
Cobb said they ‘hide behind the word sport and tagging for tracking’.
If the tags were taken away from you, you would still do it, it’s a macho thing,’ she added.
‘Real men don’t need to fight a defenseless animal in the name of sport.’