This is not something anyone would expect to find in the basement of somebody’s home. After receiving a report that someone in the neighborhood was possibly harboring illegal wildlife, officials with the Department of Environmental Conservation of New York State visited a residence in LaGrangeville, around 76 miles north of New York City, on August 23.

On arrival in the home, they discovered seven live Sand Tiger Sharks, one dead hammerhead shark and two dead leopard sharks in an above-ground pool measuring some 15 feet in the basement of the house.

The marine animals were juvenile and measured between two and four feet in length.

SPCA law enforcement says it is an ‘extremely unusual’ find

Speaking in the video below, Kimberly McNamee, a law enforcement officer with the Dutchess County SPCA, said it was an extremely unusual find. In the 4,000 cases that she has investigated McNamee has seen alligators, crocodiles, stingrays, and snakes, but never sharks before.

No charges but illegal to keep sand tiger sharks

As reported by The Gazette, the unnamed homeowner has not yet been charged and the address has not been revealed, but investigators believe he was probably breeding them to sell on to private collectors. However, sand tiger sharks fall under federal protection and it is against the law to own them anywhere along the East Coast without a special permit.

According to experts, the sharks are between one and three years of age and can grow up to nine feet in length, which would be far too big to keep as illegal, exotic pets.

Sharks now in quarantine in Long Island Aquarium

Using nets, marine wildlife experts captured the sharks and removed them from the basement pool. They then took blood samples before measuring and tagging the animals.

The live sand tiger sharks are now being cared for at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. Currently, the sharks are under quarantine and will be nursed back to health. Katie Marino at the aquarium said they had been caught off the Alabama Gulf Coast. Marino said they are unable to put the sharks on normal exhibit as they may have some kind of pathogen that would spread to other animals in the aquarium.

Residents stunned by the discovery

As LaGrangeville is inland, neighbors were shocked by the discovery. Carmella Antonakos told CBS News that she couldn’t believe it had happened in their small town, as there is no ocean nearby, and therefore no sharks anywhere near there.
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