A great white shark left behind in an abandoned wildlife park in Victoria has finally found a new home.
The four-metre beast has spent years sitting in a tank of formaldehyde on the grounds of the deserted wildlife sanctuary, idly watching over a run-down room strewn with litter and decaying arcade games.
Once a well-kept secret among Victorians, the decaying animal became an unofficial tourist attraction for trespassing urban explorers after a video posted to YouTube in November amassed more than 11 million views.
The clip sparked interest in the abandoned site, eventually prompting local police to issue a warning telling the public not to trespass on the private property.
But the owners became fed up with the unwanted visitors and recently arranged to transport the giant shark to a nearby business called Crystal World.
The company's website describes itself as having "the world's largest exhibitions of Crystals, Fossils, Meteorites, Gems, Jewellery, and Minerals".
And now, it will have a giant great white shark preserved in a tank of chemicals to add to its Prehistoric Journeys Exhibition Centre.
According to the Herald Sun, the shark arrived at her new home yesterday after Crystal World worker Sharon Williamson saw it on her Facebook page and encouraged the owner to acquire it for the business.
"Otherwise, she was going to go to landfill," she told the paper.
"It was quite logistical, getting it out here and the emptying it."
'The shark itself was gross and boring.' Photo / Supplied
The reported plan is to restore the shark's tank and give her new life as an added attraction on site at Crystal World.
The shark, dubbed Rosie, is believed to have been caught by fisherman in South Australia in 1998 before eventually ending up at the former wildlife sanctuary.
In 2012, the ABC reported that the operator was running Wildlife Wonderland without a licence and had been evicted from the property by its owners. The animals on site were surrendered to the RSPCA and the Department of Sustainability.
Following the recent media attention, a spokesperson from the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria told news.com.au that it was "aware of the shark and tank and do not consider them to be hazardous", despite the potentially harmful nature of the chemicals used to preserve the creature.
The agency said it had "provided the owner with advice on how to appropriately dispose of the items."
