Desk Report
Published: 13 Oct 2021, 10:20 am
Australian Man 'Stole' Tag from Great White Shark || Photo: Collected
An Australian man has been charged with stealing a
monitoring tag from a great white shark, reportedly setting off a string of
false shark alarms in Western Australia.
Police in the town of Albany charged the 48-year-old man
with stealing an "acoustic monitor tag" used to track great white
sharks off the coast, they said in a statement received Wednesday.
He is to face Albany magistrates court on November 4.
Tagged sharks trigger an alarm when they swim within range
of a network of 34 receivers dotted along the West Australian coast, giving
people real-time warnings of the danger at key locations.
Though police gave no further details, a report in The West
Australian newspaper said the man removed the tag when he caught a great white
shark by mistake and then released it alive.
The tag then allegedly set off shark alarms seven times
between August 13 and September 4, the paper said.