Aussie fishermen remove fishing hooks from huge shark’s mouth
A large bronze whaler shark found itself in an unusual encounter with a group of fishermen
READING LEVEL – GREEN
A shark with a mouth “cut to bits” with fishing hooks has had an unusual encounter* with a group of fishermen.
In a video of the ordeal*, three fishermen worked to remove half a dozen hooks from the mouth of a sizeable bronze whaler in Mandurah, south of Perth, in Western Australia.
“Oh he’s got six hooks in him!” the man cutting the fishing waste from the animal was heard saying.
As he worked quickly to remove the hooks, another man held the shark’s head in his arms.
They had also fastened a strap around the shark’s tail.
“Aw his mouth’s cut to bits,” the man with the pliers* said.
Once all the hooks had been taken out, the animal was carefully lifted from the rocks where it had been held steady, and guided* back to the open water.
“Yes!” one man said as the shark slowly swam away.
The men have since been described “heroes” for helping the shark.
“Wow! Good on you guys! Thank you for showing people to be kind and to help all animals You guys are amazing. Mr Sharkey I’m sure is grateful,” one wrote in a comment below the video.
“That's awesome. They deserve a bravery award,” another said.
“Amazing he’s not struggling. Must know they’re helping him. Well done fellas good work,” a third said.
It was unclear if the men accidentally* hooked the shark themselves before removing the hooks.
GLOSSARY
- encounter: an unexpected or casual meeting with someone or something
- ordeal: something difficult or painful to go through
- pliers: a tool with two handles at one end and two hard, flat, metal parts at the other
- guided: direct in a way or course
- accidentally: by chance or mistake
EXTRA READING
Crocs could be key in fight against human infections
Forever chemicals causing harm
Orca duo kills 17 sharks in one day
Whale wailing a sign of loneliness
QUICK QUIZ
- How many hooks were found in the shark’s mouth?
- Where did the encounter take place?
- What tool did the men use to remove the hooks?
- What happened to the shark after the hooks were removed?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Shark Tale
Write a narrative of this story from the perspective of the shark telling his/her ocean friends.
Your short narrative should have an introduction, problem (hooks caught in mouth) and resolution (fisherman getting them out and releasing it back to the water).
Make it a fun and engaging story to ready.
Draft your story, edit and proofread it and then and make a class book of your shark tales to read.
Time: allow 50 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and creative thinking.
2. Extension
After watching the video, do you think the men were scared to be near the mouth of a shark?
Why do you think the shark wasn’t struggling or trying to attack?
Would you have done the same thing if you were there?
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and social, Critical and creative thinking.
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.
Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.