2 leopard sharks found in Norwalk trash can

Animal control officers are trying to figure out how two adult leopard sharks ended up in a trash can outside a Norwalk home.

A woman said she smelled a foul odor coming from a garbage can outside her house Monday and when she peeked inside found the two dead 4-foot sharks staring up at her, said Aaron Reyes, director of operations in the area for the L.A. County animal control authority.

"Stuffed in there, just sort of curled in and, you know, thrown on top of each other," Reyes said.

Leopard sharks -- characterized by their grayish patches -- larger than 36 inches require a permit by the California Department of Fish and Game for ownership.

The shark carcasses were in refrigeration at the animal shelter in Downey awaiting examination to try to discover the cause of death and any clues about where they might have come from.

Of particular concern is a 3-inch cut on the belly of one of the sharks. Reyes said the cut is too clean to have been caused by an animal attack or debris.

"That’s concerning us a bit, we don’t know why a person would do that," he said, adding that he has heard of people smuggling items inside of sharks. "Really, none of it makes any sense."

-- Raja Abdulrahim

Photo: KTLA

Comments

[george cardenas]

Easy one some neighbor went fishing - the cut is probaly from cleaning the stomach . I can see it now some new guy asks to keep the fish which are caught all up down the coast . Forgets to ice them , thinks they have spoiled and after showing his friends what he had caught that is now bad went and stuffed them in a neighbors trash can - case solved . Sucks but is most likely what happened .

[common_sense]

seriously, who cares?

[RA]

Animal Control trying to figure out where they came from?? Maybe they need to call the Rand Corp. for this one.

[Friends of Leo]

Being an avid surf fisherman, I know some people illegally poach Leopard sharks to slit open the belly of females and harvest baby Leopard sharks for the illegal aquarium trade. A baby leopard shark is worth a few hundred dollars and the litter from a large female in the thousands. Whoever did this needs to go to jail.

common_sense. Get a life. Why are you posting if you don't care?

[V.M.L.]

Poor sharks...:(

[Audrey]

Horrible - what is wrong with people? Common_sense, I wonder if these were two-legged animals (i.e., humans) whether you would have the same response.

[ed]

I think the story needs to be corrected to say that LIVE leopard sharks require a permit, not dead ones. These leopard sharks are in no condition to do anything to anyone. So what's the crime?

[su young man]

seriously? they're wasting tax payer dollars on trying to figure out cause of death??!?!?!

[Lisa]

I hope that whoever did this gets some serious jail time.

[space cowboy]

Mybe they were caught and the person didn't know they were a protected fish until someone told them. Than maybe they tried to get rid of them.

[Friends of Leo]

A fishing license is required to "take or possess" a leopard shark. Yes, you are in possession of a shark according to the law even if is cut up into steaks and in your freezer. More importantly, "It is unlawful to cause or permit any deterioration or waste of any fish taken in the waters of this state. " Possession of an undersized fish such as a harvested baby is also illegal.

Poachers of leopard sharks for the aquarium trade face jail time and hefty fines.

[The Village Idiot]

They taste pretty good. I caught one last year and had my neighbor cooked it with coconut and ginger and it was really tasty. What a waste of meat.... :(

[Luis Lopez]

yea.... it realy sucks to think some one cought them and left them out too long to keep them... They are a real beauityful fish if he or she wanted to show them off they should of brought a camera to the beach.... i want to know where they cought them so i can fish that spotttt..... fore feet and two at that.. Thats a good day of fishing, even better if they would have (let them go)......