Pregnant Shark Found Dead, Man Delivers Babies On Beach [Video]

A pregnant shark was found dead on a Cape Town, South Africa, beach. Although the scene was heartbreaking, witnesses noticed unusual movement in the shark’s belly. An American tourist, who was not named, eventually determined that the shark was pregnant and her pups were still alive.

Using a sharp knife, the man performed an emergency C-section on the beach. Thankfully, Beth Cordell was on hand to film the delicate operation. The extraordinary footage was shared via YouTube.

As reported by Daily Mail, the unidentified man carefully sliced into the pregnant shark’s side and belly. Although their mother was clearly dead, three pups were safely delivered and returned to the sea.

The man who delivered the baby sharks is being hailed as a hero. As stated in the video’s description, his kindness “is a good example of respect to all forms of life.”

WARNING: Video may be disturbing for some viewers

Although he delivered the shark pups and placed them in the sea without incident, the man was risking injury. As discussed by Enchanted Learning, shark pups are born with a full set of razor sharp teeth. Thankfully, the man was not harmed, as he kept his hands away from their mouths.

It is unclear whether the shark pups were full-term. However, they appeared to be well developed and had no problem swimming away from the beach.

Although newborn babies are often reliant on their mothers, shark pups are completely independent at birth. In fact, they are often eaten by the mother if they do not swim away immediately.

In May, four fisherman experienced a similar situation in Venice, Florida. As reported by Huffington Post, the men spent two hours reeling in a 12-foot hammerhead shark. When thy finally dragged it to shore, they noticed a gaping bite make in the shark’s stomach.

Upon further inspection, the fishermen noticed movement inside the wound. Devon Fritch, Noe Campos, Danny Rosenbalm, and Coty Steffanni, eventually removed 20 shark pups from their fatally wounded mother.

WARNING: Video may be disturbing for some viewers

Unfortunately, the pregnant shark later died and her pups likely suffered a similar fate. Conservationist Dr. Bob Huber, who reviewed the footage, said the pups were not fully developed. In his opinion, they simply were not “strong enough to survive on their own.”

Huber further stated that the fisherman should have cut the pregnant shark off their line, as hammerheads are an endangered species.

[Image via Alexlilly]