Rescue teams tried to save a shark which had become stranded off the UK coastline.
The basking shark was first spotted in the water at Filey in North Yorkshire at around 6pm on Thursday.
But the animal had strayed inshore into shallow waters so the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and officers from the coastguard launched a rescue operation.
Crowds gathered to watch as the beach was closed while lifeboat crews attempted to get it back to see.
But marine charity Sea Watch confirmed it thought the creature was ill and a decision was made to euthanise the animal.
Sea Watch’s Robin Petch told the BBC: ‘It was in the shallows in Filey Bay trying to beach itself and members of the public, the Coastguard and the RNLI were in attendance trying to stop it and persuade it to go out to sea.
‘There was a vet in attendance and in the end they decided the best thing to do for the animal was to euthanise it.’
The basking shark is the largest shark found in UK seas and can grow up to 12 metres in length.
Weighing around six tonnes, they are believed to live for about 50 years and feed on just zooplankton.
They arrive in British waters in the summer and can sometimes be spotted by their distinctive triangular black dorsal fin.
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