Police referred the matter to the Department of Conservation – but did send a unit “to ensure everyone is safe”.
DoC Mahaanui Operations Manager Andy Thompson confirmed they were “called about a shark stranded on Sumner Beach about 9pm” on Thursday night.
“Mako sharks are not a protected species so DoC does not manage their population and is not mandated to respond to incidents like this.
“The stranding is a sad but natural event,” Thompson said.
He says DoC has “been liaising with city council coastal rangers and local iwi”.
Christchurch resident Kristy Crates says she was so disappointed to hear authorities were not attending immediately that she went to Sumner Beach to see if she could help.
“I just thought it’s not going to survive the night,” Crates told Newstalk ZB.
It didn’t. Crates says the shark was dead by the time she arrived.
She said a small crowd had been coming and going from the area near Cave Rock – where the outgoing tide had left the shark about 20m from the water.
Crates believed it was later buried.
“I think it was a group that came after I’d left. A couple of people messaged me saying, ‘hey, look, we’ve buried it',” said Crates.
However, when Christchurch City Council staff visited the site this morning they found the shark on the sand at Sumner Beach.
“We have it in holding and are waiting for MPI and DoC to confirm we can proceed with a burial,” said Rupert Bool, Head of Parks for CCC.
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