The Bay World oceanarium in Port Elizabeth has released two Ragged-tooth or Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) back into the ocean after 19 years.
According to a report in The Herald Online, the pair of sharks were released during a carefully co-ordinated exercise overseen by oceanarium expert Tony McEwan, some of which can be seen on the video below.
The sharks were tagged during the exercise and will become part of a research project aimed at creating South Africa's oceans as a safe haven for ragged-tooth sharks.
The two sharks were transported in crates on a truck to the harbour, where a crane was used to lower them into the sea.
Aquarium curator Steve Warren said he was confident the pair was capable of coping in the wild because they had often hunted their own fish in the tank at the oceanarium.
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