Rosie the Shark, a preserved specimen of a Great White Shark, became an unexpected viral sensation after her haunting image emerged from an abandoned Australian wildlife park. Her story is a rare intersection of natural history, conservation, and internet folklore, captivating a global audience curious about her fate. The public’s fascination stems from the strangeness of finding such a large creature forgotten in a derelict structure. This journey, from apex predator to abandoned exhibit and finally to a protected display, provides a compelling answer to what happened to her and where she resides today.
The History of Rosie’s Capture and Initial Preservation
Rosie’s life as a wild Great White Shark ended in 1997 off the coast of South Australia, near the town of Tumby Bay. She was caught unintentionally in the tuna fishing nets of the Lukin family, and due to the severity of the entanglement, the decision was made to humanely euthanize the apex predator. Her body was initially stored in a freezer, a temporary measure for such a large specimen.
The now-defunct Wildlife Wonderland park in Bass, Victoria, eventually acquired the shark for display. Transporting the specimen required a refrigerated truck to cover the nearly 1,500-kilometer journey across state lines. The transport was briefly interrupted when South Australian authorities impounded her body to perform a necropsy after a local woman went missing, a necessary step to rule out the shark’s involvement.
Once cleared, Rosie was prepared for exhibition, a process that involved stuffing her body with Dacron material to maintain her form before immersion. She was then placed inside a large, custom-built display tank filled with a formalin and water solution, a common chemical preservative for large biological specimens. This formaldehyde-based solution stabilized her tissues, preventing decomposition and allowing her to serve as a long-term educational attraction at the park for over a decade.
Abandonment and the Viral Rediscovery
Rosie’s abandonment began with the closure of Wildlife Wonderland in 2012. The park was forced to cease operations after it was found to be operating without the necessary permits and faced concerns regarding animal welfare. While all living animals were surrendered to welfare organizations, Rosie, being a preserved specimen, was left behind in her formaldehyde-filled tank within the decaying structure.
The facility remained derelict for years, becoming a target for urban explorers and vandals. Rosie’s plight was brought to international attention in late 2018 when a video uploaded by urban explorer Luke McPherson went viral, gaining millions of views almost instantly. The eerie footage of the shark suspended in cloudy green liquid inside a dark, dilapidated shed became a haunting internet sensation.
This sudden fame, however, brought risk to Rosie. The video spurred a flood of trespassers to the abandoned site, leading to significant vandalism of the shark’s enclosure. Vandals broke glass panels and threw objects into the tank, causing the highly toxic and carcinogenic formaldehyde vapors to leak into the air. Local police were compelled to issue public warnings against visiting the dangerous site.
The Challenging Process of Relocation and Restoration
The immediate danger posed by the leaking formaldehyde necessitated a rapid rescue effort to save the specimen from complete destruction. Tom Kapitany, the owner of Crystal World Exhibition Centre, took on the task of acquiring and relocating Rosie in 2019. The operation began with safely pumping out the contaminated formaldehyde solution, which required specialized hazardous material handling due to its toxicity.
The size of the tank, which was roughly the dimensions of a shipping container, meant Rosie could not be moved through standard doorways. The removal involved removing the roof of the abandoned shed and employing a large crane to lift the shark and her tank out of the building. This complex process ensured the fragile specimen was not damaged during extraction.
Once at Crystal World, the delicate work of restoration began, focusing on stabilizing the shark and replacing the old preservative. The remaining formaldehyde was flushed out, and a safer alternative, a non-toxic glycerol-based solution, was introduced into the tank. This new chemical environment arrests deterioration while posing significantly less risk to the staff and visitors. Conservation efforts remain ongoing, with specialists injecting glycerol directly into exposed areas of the shark’s body to ensure long-term preservation.
Rosie’s Permanent Home and Display
Rosie the Shark has found her permanent sanctuary at the Crystal World Exhibition Centre and Prehistoric Journey display in Devon Meadows, Victoria, Australia. She is prominently featured as the centerpiece of her own dedicated exhibition, a testament to her unique history and the efforts to save her. The display is designed to honor her story from the ocean to her digital fame.
The preserved Great White Shark is displayed in her original tank, now filled with the clear, stabilizing glycerol solution. Visitors can observe the five-meter specimen and learn about the science of preservation and the ethics of animal display. One of the original, damaged glass panels was intentionally left intact, serving as a physical reminder of her abandonment and subsequent rescue. Rosie is now a publicly accessible attraction, where her story continues to educate people about marine life and conservation efforts.