Live Black Tip Shark Found In Condominium Pool

LAKE WORTH, FL — A Lake Worth woman’s recent trip to her condominium complex’s pool took a turn for the strange recently when she looked in the water and spotted a 5-foot black tip shark.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the woman thought the shark was still alive and called for help. Right after she made the discovery, she also happened to notice “two young white males running from the Mariners Cay pool,” an FWC officer wrote in a report.

The officer responded to the complex and determined the shark was indeed alive. Hoping to keep it that way, authorities quickly – and carefully – removed the creature and relocated it back into the nearby Intracoastal Waterway.

“This incident is the focus of an ongoing and active investigation,” Rob Klepper, FWC spokesman told Patch. Further details are not being released at this time.

The report did note, however, that the responding officer spotted surveillance cameras on the property and has contacted the complex’s management.

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While sharks in pools are not common in Florida, the creatures themselves are. The state typically leads the nation in the number of annual shark attacks. Many of those attacks are perpetrated by black tips, such as the one found in the pool. Noted typically for “hit-and-run” type attacks, black tip bites are generally not fatal.

“Shark attacks in general are really a nonentity when we think of causes of mortality involved with humans,” explained George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus. “It’s a lot more dangerous driving to the beach.”

While Florida logs an estimated 20 “bites” a year and about one fatality every decade, Burgess explained that many of those bites are akin to dog bites in their severity.

The east coast, where Florida happens to experience the most shark attacks, is noted for having a lot of smaller shark species that share the water with swimmers, divers, surfers and others looking for outdoor fun. Black tip and spinner sharks, for example, are commonly found in the “surf zone” and generally measure about 6 to 7 feet in length.

“Unfortunately for the sharks and for us we go into that very same area for our recreational activities,” Burgess said. “In a highly aquatic recreation friendly area such as Florida, we get people and sharks together in that environment and we get those bites.”

While no bites were reported in the pool incident, FWC is still hoping to get to the bottom of just who might be responsible for the shark’s relocation. Anyone with information in the case or who has information about other violations can call FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/By Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa