Baby shark killed in training session: investigation launched

The town council of Tenerife's capital and largest city, Santa Cruz, has opened an investigation into the killing of a species of shark by players of Spanish second-tier side CD Tenerife on Friday.

Angelshark killed during pre-season training

The move was announced by Zaida González, the city's deputy mayor, after images emerged of footballer Marc Crosas holding aloft a baby common angelshark harpooned by a slalom pole used for fitness exercises.

The incident took place as the team carried out a pre-season training session on the Las Teresitas beach on Tenerife, which is the biggest and most populous of Spain's Canary Islands.

Apologies from Tenerife and Crosas

The club have publicly apologised for the "unfortunate" occurrence, while Crosas - who this summer joined Tenerife on loan from Mexicans Cruz Azul - has also issued a statement expressing his regret at the "damage caused" and vowing to "accept the consequences".

However, González has underlined that the incident was an "appalling act" and that the matter is too serious for apologies offered by team and player to be sufficient.

Endangered species

The common angelshark (Squatina squatina) figures on a 'red list' of threatened species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).