In 1997, a family set out to catch tuna off the southern coast of Australia. What ended up in their tuna net, though, was a two-ton great white shark named Rosie that would come to capture media attention for years to come.
Rosie had become infamous in Louth Bay, Australia after she bit through a pen of tuna. This angered the local seafood businesses that depended on the region. In turn, the local government actually wanted to hunt and tranquilize her.
So, when the family encountered the great white, they were blown away. Her immense size and dazzling display of teeth intrigued not only the family but also the greater public after word of her capture spread.
Rosie was initially stored in a freezer after the family caught her. But, people everywhere were dying to get a look at the shark. She was eventually transported to the Wildlife Wonderland park in Victoria, Australia, to be put on display.
Although, Rosie’s display was unlike any other. Rather than using a typical taxidermy process, Wildlife Wonderland founder John Matthews decided to leave her interior body entirely intact. So, the shark was placed in a large tank filled with formaldehyde. This allowed her to be observed by the public in full form for years to come.
After attracting thousands of Rosie fans, the Wildlife Wonderland was eventually shut down in 2012. The founder did not possess the necessary legal licenses to display animals and was ordered to surrender all living creatures. This order did not include Rosie, though, and she was left behind after the facility was abandoned.
From 2012 to 2018, Rosie remained completely preserved and alone in the facility. That was until one wanderer named Luke McPherson encountered the abandoned park in November 2018 and uploaded a now-viral YouTube video about Rosie.
McPherson said that Rosie was “left to rot” and displayed shots of her silhouette in the eerily-green tank.
wildestanimal – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual shark
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“The fumes were so bad you could not last longer than a minute in that room. The formaldehyde must have been evaporating,” McPherson continued.
His video reached over sixteen million people and resulted in tons of illegal foot traffic. People began trespassing onto the property to get a glimpse at the famous shark and also vandalized her tank along the way.
The damage became so bad that Rosie’s tank began to leak. So, local police had to issue public safety warnings and start monitoring the facility. Still, many others wanted Rosie’s body to get the dignity it deserved. After the public learned that her body might be destroyed, numerous people took to social media for a “Save Rosie The Shark” campaign.
Eventually, Tom Kapitany– the owner of the Crystal World and Prehistoric Journeys Exhibition Center in Victoria, Australia– decided to take matters into his own hands. Kapitany agreed to transport and display her himself, which cost a whopping five hundred thousand dollars.
Still, transporting Rosie was not the only issue. Her body was still riddled with the toxic formaldehyde that Kapitany ended up flushing out. Now, he hopes to preserve Rosie’s body with a much safer preservative and is asking the public for help via a GoFundMe campaign.
The campaign, which has a goal of sixty-seven thousand and five hundred dollars, would allow Kapitany to purchase nearly twenty-thousand liters of glycerol and restore Rosie’s body once and for all.
“Rosie’s story has caught the heart of many fans nationally and internationally. Without the publicity from both social and mainstream media, she still may have been lying abandoned. Now, with your help, we have a chance to restore her and share her story to help educate people about these beautiful creatures,” Kapitany wrote on the campaign.
So far, over one hundred and thirty generous donors have contributed just over three thousand and six hundred dollars.
“Rosie is important for educating people on great whites. She needs to be saved to continue this education,” wrote Nicole Hadley, who donated twenty dollars.
“I have followed Rosie’s story since she was first discovered in the abandoned park and have been so happy to see her rescued and transported to a new home where she is now surrounded by people who love her and want to preserve her!” wrote Garrett Pryor, who also donated twenty dollars.
Despite Rosie’s widespread media attraction, though, her GoFundMe campaign still has a long way to go. To donate to the cause or share Rosie’s story, visit the link here.
