Indonesia: consecutive sharks 'ashore'

Within three days, two large sharks - one 13m long, 4 tons in weight and one 9m long, weighed 2 tons - were found washed ashore in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Both children died later.

Two sharks of shark species have scientific name Rhincodon typus. This is a huge shark that lives in warm waters, its body is 15m long and has white spots.

People and rescue groups are pulling fish
fat was stranded into the sea on August 4 - Photo: Reuters

According to The Jakarta Post, on the night of August 3, a local resident found a 9m long, 2-ton shark that ran aground on Parangkusumo beach, Kretek, Bantul, Yogyakarta. The fishermen then tried to drag it back to the sea, but it died.

Earlier on August 1, at a beach 10 kilometers west of Parangkusumo, a 13m long, 4-ton shark was also discovered washed ashore and died later.

Animal breeder Donan Satria Yuda of Gadjah University's Mada School of Biology thinks that these two sharks may run aground while hunting small fish and plankton in the south coast of Yogyakarta, as they are species like to swim near the shore.

In Indonesia, Rhincodon typus is classified as endangered. So when I heard that sharks were stranded, on August 4, many people rushed to watch and take photos.

'I know that sharks are stranded on Twitter, and I came here because I wanted to see the creature's eyes that I had never seen before,' said a resident named Kricak Johan.

The shark is stranded on Parangkusumo beach - (Photo: news.cn)

People rush to watch sharks on August 4 - (Photo: Antara)