When a local vlogger went exploring inside an abandoned wildlife preserve, he didn’t expect to encounter one of the world’s deadliest predators…
Amateur Videographer
Luke McPherson was a 31-year-old YouTuber from Victoria, Australia. He started out his channel filming anything he came across, from four-wheel driving to geocaching to abandoned buildings. If Luke saw anything compelling or interesting he deemed to be worthwhile, he would film it and put it online.
What Lies Beneath…
One day, Luke heard about an abandoned wildlife park nearby. He thought it might be a good idea to trespass on the property and film the interior just in case anything was left behind. He had no idea about the terrifying secret he would be stumbling across…
Setting Off to Explore
The park had been closed down in 2012 due to various offenses against the animals. They also did not have the proper license to be displaying native animals to the public. Luke got his gear together and set off to explore the abandoned wildlife park. He wondered what could be inside…
Lifeless
Because the operator of the park hadn’t obtained the necessary licensing, they were evicted and forced to surrender all the animals to the RSPCA. Since then, the park had been sitting there, totally void of life for years on end…or so Luke thought.
Heading In
He opened the door to a powerful smell that made him clap a hand over his face. Inside, the floor was covered in what appeared to be animal feces. It looked like a cave... the ceiling was arched and made of dirt, and the windows appeared to be dug out.
Exploring The Habitat
There were no lights inside, so Luke used his flashlight and the small amount of natural daylight to look around the room to see if he could find anything of interest. He moved toward a dark opening in the wall that looks like the entrance to another part of the cave. Naturally, he was drawn over there...
Going Deeper
Luke headed even deeper into the cave. So far, he hadn’t managed to find any animals, but he was determined to see something that would make this whole thing worthwhile… He started to see more signs about "dangerous" animals in the wild...
Creepy Glow
Luke saw a light coming through one of the doors. He began to wander toward it. Luke looked around the room and saw that there were two huge windows, but the glass had been broken. Shattered fragments were scattered all across the floor
Toxic Stench
Finally, Luke reached a door toward the back of the building. It appeared to be dark inside. The chemical odor had become unbearable. He had his camera at the ready to film whatever what might lie behind it…
Horrible Smell
The further he explored, the worse the stench got. It began to smell acerbic, burning his nostrils. Luke wondered where the chemical odor could be coming from. It seemed to be coming from the tank! It wasn’t like anything he had ever smelled before…
Stepping Over Piles of Junk
Inside the room laid piles upon piles of junk. The chemical was making Luke’s eyes water. He shined his flashlight around and kept walking. That’s when heard a sound that made him halt in his tracks.
Absolutely Terrified
As Luke rose slowly, flashlight in hand, he saw something that almost made his heart stop. His hand began to shake as he stared into an enormous glass tank mere feet from where he was standing.
The Aquarium
The tank was at least fifteen feet long and ten feet deep. It was filled to the brim with a bright green liquid. Luke felt like he couldn’t breathe. The flashlight cast an eerie glow, illuminating what the tank contained…
The Ghost Shark
Inside the tank was an enormous great white shark. Luke saw the silhouette of its teeth in the shadows. It wasn’t moving, suspended in the formaldehyde. The shark was at least twelve feet long. Luke was frozen in place. He took a step toward it to see if it moved…
Perfectly Preserved
The shark stayed put where it was. Luke breathed a sigh of relief; clearly, it was dead. The smell of formaldehyde was starting to make him feel dizzy, so he decided to head back out into the open. Luke was determined to find out how the deads shark ended up in that tank, preserved to perfection.
Totally Abandoned
After making this horrific discovery, he realized that this shark had been abandoned. At first, he was afraid that it had been left alive, but luckily, that wasn't the case... Although, the truth is even creepier.
Under the Sea
When Luke returned home, he did some research on the facility. He learned that the great white shark, which was named “Rosie,” died in a tuna fishing net ten years earlier. Unfortunately, due to the fishing industry, this was not an uncommon way for sharks to die in the ocean. However, an artist learned of Rosie’s untimely death and had other plans for her…
A Gift to the Park
The artist claimed Rosie’s body, preserved her body, and gave her to the wildlife park. According to the man who owned part of the park from 2003 to 2006, unlike most fish and taxidermy, Rosie was never gutted. This meant her body was hard as a rock!
Rosie’s Body
So, what will happen to Rosie’s body? Wildlife preservation experts have said that she will continue to remain in the reserve while living on through photos and videos. As of right now, her body is in good shape and doesn't pose a health risk... yet. Until then, she will be lurking in the refuge! Did they leave behind anything else?
Finding Even More.
Luke went to explore the other rooms. There were mattresses and couches all over and graffiti on the walls. It appeared that people had been squatting here, but they had all left in a rush. Luke wondered if they had seen something that he hadn’t…
Not the Worst of it
The bones weren’t large enough to belong to a person. Luke breathed a sigh of relief. The skull wasn’t human-shaped, which made Luke figure the skeleton had belonged to a dog or cat. He thought the worst of it was over…but he was wrong.
Figuring It Out
The flashlight on the ground was illuminating the junk in the room. Luke held his shirt up to his face to cover his nose and shield himself from the scent of chemicals. Suddenly, it struck Luke... he knew what the smell was.
Found Bones
The more he explored, the more he found. Family photos, important documents, and random personal items were scattered along the premise. He even found something just as disturbing as the abandoned shark... bones!
Creepy Room
There was dirty furniture all over the room that the bones were found in. A bare pullout mattress sat in the corner, and a pool table was turned on its side. Had someone been living here?
Raising More Questions
He was growing more nervous and he explored even more rooms, each leading him to the conclusion that this place had housed a large number of people. Where had everyone gone... and why did they leave?
Children's Room
He wandered down a hall and found a room that was entirely filled with clothes. Upon closer inspection, he realized the clothes belonged to children. There were also coloring books all over the floor. Luke felt that something was very, very wrong.
Were People Living There?
Despite the horrifying find of the shark, Luke was starting to expect that he had found something even more terrifying... People were definitely living there. The bones, he suspected (and hoped), were chicken bones. The clothes and personal belongings must have been from the squatters who lived there. Now the reason question was: are they even alone?
No One Was Home
Luke and his Youtuber friend came to the conclusion that no one was there. They hadn't heard any sort of movement from anything other than their own footsteps. If someone were sneaking around, they wouldn't have very much success... There was so much trash all over the floors that it made it impossible to be quiet. At least, that's what they were banking on...
Being Precautious
The two men wanted to continue exploring. They knew that they had limited time since they were trespassing, but now they had even less time since someone else could find them. They really wanted to find something as cool as the shark but were getting nervous with how long they had been there...
It Was Time To Go
Finally, after a couple of hours, they decided to call it quits. After all, finding an abandoned shark is pretty much the coolest thing that someone could find... They knew that this discovery was huge, and they hoped that the news would get the shark a new home. They were basically Rosie's saviors!