Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

The killing of this female grey shark which had its five pups removed from its belly and butchered after it came to shallow waters to give birth has caused outrage.

The shocking images of the dead shark on San Andres island off Colombia’s Caribbean coast in the department of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina has caused outrage among netizens.

The photos which have been shared on social media show the dead shark and its young cut into pieces, with the pups removed from inside their mother’s body. It is unclear if the mother was already dead when this happened.

Reports state the animals were butchered to sell the parts on the black market.

Local journalist Junior Garcia Anaya reported that the female shark had approached the beaches of San Andres to give birth before it was killed.

The Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the Archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina (CORALINA, a public entity considered the area’s highest environmental authority), said the shark was endangered and protected from fishing by law.

It was reportedly a grey shark, part of the Carcharhinidae family of sharks.

CORALINA said they “did not receive official reports through the institutional channels, which prevented them from reacting immediately to attend an alleged environmental crime”.

The organisation said the area where the shark was killed is a protected marine area and say the case is under investigation. No arrests or sanctions have yet been reported.

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