As shark dies during filming of T.V. commercial in L.A., unrelated dead shark found on New York City subway

This is the story of two sharks, both deceased, on opposite ends of the U.S. One shark was in L.A., in show business, and died on the job. The other was found abandoned in a New York subway train.

In an outdoor pool in Los Angeles, a white-tipped shark has died, reportedly of stress, during the filming of a commercial for the Kmart store chain. Once notified of the incident, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reacted with anger. PETA reported that whistleblowers at the scene of the taping reported the incident. PETA reported that they had asked Kmart to not use live wild animals, such as sharks, in their advertising.

A member of Aha, the American Humane Association was in attendance during the filming, and had certified the script. Aha asserts that all possible precautions to insure the shark’s health had been taken.

The commercial shoot took place in the Van Nuys area of the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles. The shark, which measured five feet long, was given adrenaline injections and oxygen. However once taken from the pool, the animal died.

Meanwhile, on the other coast, a four foot long shark was discovered beneath a row of benches on a subway train in Manhattan, headed for the borough of Queens.

All passengers were requested to move to other cars of the subway. At the final stop, the shark was removed from the subway and disposed of. The New York Transit Authority reported that they had no record of a shark previously being found on one of their subways.

Images of the shark on the subway have attained viral status, one in particular shows the shark having a cigarette dangling from its mouth, with a can of an energy drink nearby.