Conservationists' fury as 'extremely rare' shark's head butchered and stolen from Lepe beach

Mary Stanley reports from Lepe beach. She spoke to local resident and TV historian Dan Snow, and Chris Balcolmbe who found the shark.

A rare shark that washed up on a Hampshire beach has had its head and tail cut off by trophy hunters.

The smalltooth sandtiger shark, an extremely rare visitor top British waters, was found on Lepe beach on Saturday morning.

But before scientists could reach the scene and recover the body, much of the animal had been removed.

Saws which were used to dismember the animal were left at the scene.

Conservationists had hoped to study the animal for research.

A spokesperson for the Shark Trust said they were dismayed at the barbarity.

"While efforts were made to secure the specimen for research, recent images show that the shark was butchered overnight with the head and tail removed.

"The head in particular holds the key to unlocking intricate details of the sharks life, even from before birth, so we’d welcome news of its whereabouts!"

TV historian Dan Snow came across the shark's body on Saturday and tried to preserve it, but was dismayed to see people trying to dismember it.

"It is not illegal to take parts from dead fish washed ashore so there's no judging," he Tweeted, "but if you took the head please get in touch, let the scientists have a look and then it's yours to keep."

The shark was found a short distance from Calshot beach, where Thor the wandering walrus made a brief appearance in December.

And like Thor, the shark was a long way from its natural home.

The species is normally found in the eastern Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

Shark Biologist Martin Taylor said this was a unique discovery in UK waters.

He said: "It's important to determine how it has got here with a thorough examination and studying the specimen in greater detail.

"It's a very rare demersal shark species with little known about the biology of this shark that I have not seen records of being found in the UK.

A large shark – growing to ~4m in length – Smalltooth Sandtigers feed on small fish and squid, putting their long, slender teeth to good use.

Usually found towards the seabed, this is a globally Vulnerable species, with numbers thought to be in decline.

The Zoological Society of London will be collecting the remains of the shark on Tuesday to study it.