A young shark spotted in shallow waters on South Uist and captured in stunning images dies after becoming stranded

While tope sharks are commonly seen in the waters of the Outer Hebrides, the potential specimen documented by Twitter user Katie was reported to the Scottish SPCA after following concerns for its safety.

Katie had been alerted to the presence of the small shark in Loch Bee and shared images of it circling in the shallow waters on South Uist on Twitter.

It was later revealed that despite hopes that the suspected tope shark would escape to sea safety with higher tides, it struggled to do so.

Scottish SPCA auxiliary inspector, Amanda MacDonald, said: “We can confirm that we were called out to what we believe was a young, male tope shark on 28 May after reports the animal was trapped in a cove.

“We monitored the shark along with a local RSPB volunteer and our hope was that it would go back out to sea with the high tide as it had no visible injuries.

Ms MacDonald continued: “Unfortunately this did not happen and the shark stranded itself and sadly passed away. This is a phenomenon that can sometimes happen with this species and other types of marine creatures, often for no clear reason.

Twitter user Katie was alerted to the presence of the small shark in South Uist on Friday May 28 and managed to capture it swimming in the shallow waters of Loch Bee. (Image credit: @StationeryWoman)

“We’d like to remind people that if they come across any injured or distressed wildlife they should keep their distance to prevent any further stress to the animal. Our animal helpline can be contacted on 03000 999 999 for advice and assistance seven days a week from 7.30am until 9pm.”

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