Community Corner

Live Shark Found at San Juan Hills Golf Club

An employee happens upon what looks like a leopard shark thrashing in the grass.

So this shark walks onto a golf course …

That’s probably not how it happened, but a janitor passing by the San Juan Hills Golf Club’s 12th tee box on Monday came upon a live shark thrashing in the grass just the same.

Not exactly the stuff of Saturday Night Live – Land Shark, anyone? – this little guy, possibly a leopard shark, was spotted and only 2 feet long.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The golf course is about 4 miles inland.

According to NBC News in San Diego, the shark had two puncture wounds, so staff believes a more credible story is that a predatory bird snatched it, then lost it shortly before dinner time.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With the shark still alive, the employee put it in the back of his golf cart and drove to the clubhouse, where it was dipped in some fresh water just to get a soak – employees weren’t sure a shark would survive in fresh water, Operations Director Melissa McCormack told The Capistrano Dispatch

With time being of the essence, the shark was quickly transported to the ocean just off Dana Point, the Dispatch reported.

“It had a little blood on it, but it was still alive,” McCormack told the Dispatch. “We didn’t want to waste any time. Poor guy, he got dropped onto a golf course.”

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here