Aussie woman shocked by 'cruel' shark discovery in driveway that risks $20,000 fine
Vicki Matchett was on her property when she spotted a fin and made the bizarre discovery.
An Aussie homeowner has been left stunned and aghast after finding a five-foot shark dumped on the ground of her property, with her home situated almost 10 kilometres from the nearest beach. There were no tags, or hooks, or any indication of who left the dead animal in her driveway — or why.
"I looked across and saw this fin, and I thought, that looks like a shark and on closer inspection, it was a shark," Vicki Matchett told 7News about the discovery she made on Monday morning.
She labelled the incident on her Currency Creek property in South Australia as "barbaric" and admitted she had no idea "what goes through people's heads [or] what they're thinking" when doing something like this.
"It's disrespectful, I don't know what kind of person does it," she said.
After contacting authorities, the resident decided to show the marine animal respect by burying it on her property, choosing a prized position under her tomato plants.
"We need some respect for it so it can go into my vegetable garden and I've grown my tomatoes on it next summer season," she said.
A Currency Creek businesswoman who found a dead bronze whaler at the end of her driveway has described the behaviour as "barbaric". Whoever is responsible could now be fined up to $20,000 under new South Australian laws. @DeeWilliams7 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/mXuIXF5QiU
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 1, 2025
Offenders risk $20,000 with 'cruel' shark act
Last year, South Australia introduced new laws that prevent cruelty and intentional harm to animals, with offenders facing a maximum penalty of $20,000 or up to two years of imprisonment.
"It's inappropriate to kill an animal and then discard its body," Sarah Cameron from Shark and Ray Collective told the network. "And how disrespectful to then go dump it on someone else's driveway...
"I don't think anyone accepts this kind of cruelty, if you're going to take that shark for consumption, you take it, but if you're not, you need to safely put it back in the ocean."
There are hefty fines across the country for those who inflict cruelty on animals, with a $5,500 issued and possible six-month imprisonment in New South Wales, while in Western Australia offenders can face a maximum fine of $50,000 and five years in prison.
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