TV historian Dan Snow pleads with 'trophy-hunters' to return head of rare Lepe beach shark
THE search is on to find the head and tail of a rare shark which washed up on a New Forest beach.
It is thought trophy-hunters cut off the parts after discovering the 6ft fish – thought to be a small toothed sand tiger shark – at Lepe late last week.
Now TV historian Dan Snow, who lives nearby, is appealing for the return of the body parts so scientists can study it.
He said that the species was an "exceptionally rare visitor to these shores", adding: "This is a once in a lifetime thing.
"It is the first time a shark of this type and size has ever washed up on UK shores before."
He said he was in London on a Mother Day's trip on Friday with his wife when his "phone started going mental."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning (Monday), he said: "People were going mad, saying, 'Mate, there's a shark on your local beach!'"
"If I'd been home I'd have headed right there and secured the site.
"But I didn't make it down to the beach until 11pm by which time the head, fin and tail had gone."
He is now begging whoever has the head to bring it back.
He said: "It is incredibly important for the scientists who want to study this shark. From its head, brain and teeth they can discover why it was distressed, why it ended up here, where it's been, what it's been eating.
"We would be able to chart its journey and discover why it was in the Solent. All the important information you need is in its head and brain."
He added: "They can have the head back once the scientists have finished with it."
Mr Snow was so desperate to find the head he even went door to door in the local area asking people if they knew who had it.
The shark was spotted by photographer Chris Balcombe (62), who swims at Lepe every day throughout the year.
He told the A&T: "The shark first appeared in the shallows by the Lepe main car park on Friday afternoon.
"Two girls valiantly tried to get it into deeper water. It was clearly struggling.
"They succeeded and it seemed to be swimming away but it was seen again on Saturday thrashing around and obviously in trouble.
"It washed up with the high tide on Saturday, further up the beach beyond Lepe House.
"After my swim I had a good look at it. It was an amazing sight – row upon row of very sharp teeth and about two-and-a-half metres long.
"It had a grey upper and reddish underside.A beautiful creature and a great shame it came to such a sad end."
He added: "It certainly hasn't put me off swimming there. I've never worn a wetsuit and the water temperature is around eight degrees at the moment.
"I had a very close encounter with a seal about two years ago.
"There are a lot of creatures swimming around in the Solent but I've never had any safety issues.
"When I returned on Sunday morning, the shark was gone. There was blood on the sand and an old saw, hidden behind the wooden sea defences, which had clearly been used to remove the head."
The shark is usually found in Atlantic waters or in the Bay of Biscay. Scientists have said climate change may have led to it finding its way to the UK.
It was first spotted struggling in shallow waters off Lepe beach on Friday.
Mum Alisha Openshaw, from Dibden Purlieu, waded into the sea to help it.
Speaking on BBC news, she said: "I wasn't really thinking it was a shark, I was more concerned about helping it.
"But there was a point where it rolled over and showed its teeth and I was like, 'Oh, oh.'
"It was wonderful when it finally swam off. So it was very sad to hear later that it had been found dead."
Dr Ben Garrod, a professor in evolutionary biology at the University of East Anglia, told the BBC: "Every time we see a whale breaching or a shark washing up, this is like finding a Roman hoard or Viking daggers."
He added: "These are active predators that are taking out fish. However, they are not dangerous to people in any way."
Prof Russell Wynn, director of Wild New Forest said: "It is absolutely incredible that in the space of a few months, we have seen a walrus and a shark on the same stretch of New Forest coastline. These really are two of the most incredible sightings – even in the context of the last century so the fact that they happened within such a short space of time in such a tiny section of the coastline is quite remarkable.
“This is massive news in a New Forest context and, although incredible, it is sadly very likely to be a sign of the changing climate.”
