A shark with a mouth “cut to bits” with fishing hooks has had an extremely lucky encounter with a group of fearless fishermen.
Incredible footage has shown the tense few minutes three fishermen worked to remove half a dozen hooks from the mouth of a sizeable bronze whaler in Mandurah, south of Perth, in WA.
“Oh he’s got six hooks in him!” the man cutting the fishing waste from the animal was heard saying.
As he worked quickly to remove the hooks, another man held the shark’s head in his arms.
They had also fastened a strap around the shark’s tail.
A group of fisherman have been celebrated for removing waste from a shark’s mouth. Picture: Nine
“Aw his mouth’s cut to bits,” the man with the pliers said, with another adding, “poor bugger”.
Once all the hooks had been taken out, the animal was carefully lifted from the rocks where it had been held steady, and guided back to the open water.
The men worked quickly as a team to help the shark. Picture: Nine
“Yes!” the man behind the quick procedure exclaimed, as the shark slowly swam away.
The men have since been described “heroes” for their kind act for the shark.
“Wow! Good on you guys! Thank you for showing people to be kind and to help all animals!
The shark had week, fishing line and hooks in its mouth. Picture: Nine
You guys are amazing. Mr Sharkey I’m sure is grateful,” one wrote in a comment to the video.
“That’s awesome. They deserve a bravery award,” another said.
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“Amazing he’s not struggling. Must know they’re helping him. Well done fellas good work,” a third said.
It was unclear if the men accidentally hooked the shark themselves before removing the hooks.