Swimmer removes hook from shark’s mouth with bare hands

The swimmer held the animals’s mouth open to remove the hook. Image: Facebook/Rachael Foster

A swimmer used his bare hands to take out a fishing hook from a shark’s mouth at a beach in Delaware, United States.

Rachael Foster, one of the bystanders, recorded the incident and posted it on her Facebook page last Sunday, June 21. Foster was celebrating Father’s Day with her family when the incident happened.

According to Foster, after the man’s companion caught the shark, the man quickly swam towards it and grabbed it with his bare hands. He then used one arm to open the animal’s mouth while pinning it to his side. After the man safely took out the hook, he released the animal back into the water.

https://www.facebook.com/rachael.west.31/videos/3419021338131826/

Following the incident, Foster told Fox-affiliate WNYW on June 22 that the swimmer was a trained shark handler. The animal was also identified as a sand tiger shark, classified as a prohibited species by Delaware’s Fish & Wildlife department.

Fishing for sharks is heavily restricted in the said state. The department also stressed that if one ends up with a catch that falls under the prohibited species classification, he/she must immediately release the animal “to ensure maximum probability of survival.” Ryan Arcadio/JB

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