Published: Wednesday October 15, 2014 MYT 5:33:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday October 15, 2014 MYT 5:56:39 PM
Australians outraged over photos of woman with whale shark at Malaysian market
BY VICTORIA BROWN
Picture of the woman with the whale shark taken from PerthNow .
Picture of the woman with the whale shark taken from PerthNow .
PETALING JAYA: Pictures of a Malaysian woman posing with a whale shark being skinned by fishermen at Tanjung Gemok jetty, nearby Tioman Island, has sparked outrage among Malaysians and Australians.
An online portal reported that a Facebook user uploaded several photos of her posing with the vulnerable species and of it being skinned and cut up by fishermen on Oct 4.
She allegedly wrote that she was "ecstatic" because it was her first time seeing the species.
It is believed that the shark was cut up to be sold at the local market nearby.
However, it is not known whether the whale shark was hunted down by poachers, accidentally caught by fishermen, or if it washed up on the shore.
Australian portal PerthNow also reported the news of the woman posing with the shark, which is Western Australia's new marine animal emblem, leading to outcry among Australians.
Comments on the Australian website questioned the need to kill the shark, with some calling for prosecution of those who hunted it.
The pictures have since been removed from Facebook.