SYDNEY (AFP) - 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 on Wednesday (Oct 13).
He is to face Albany magistrates court on Nov 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 Aug 13 and Sept 4, the paper said.
Related Story
Australia deploys more shark-scanning drones to prevent attacks
Related Story
Man dies in shark attack at Australian beach
Join ST's Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Topics:
More Whatsapp Linkedin FB Messenger Telegram Reddit WeChat Pinterest Print Copy permalink https://str.sg/3qVg