Tourist Bitten, Fined After Attempting Selfie with Baby Shark

Image: PHOTO: A baby shark got revenge on a Brazilian tourist. (Photo via Flickr/FuFu Wolf)
Image: PHOTO: A baby shark got revenge on a Brazilian tourist. (Photo via Flickr/FuFu Wolf)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Fri February 10, 2017

Just because an animal is small enough to pick up, doesn't mean that it wants to be in your selfie.

A Brazilian tourist exploring the beaches of Fernando de Noronha learned the hard way, receiving a shark bite and a hefty fine after she was caught on camera pulling a baby lemon shark out of the water.

In the 90-second video posted to Facebook Monday, the woman is seen grabbing the shark while it swims near the shore. But she gets much more than she bargained for when the shark bites down on her finger and refuses to let go.

A man is seen coming over to assist but the struggle continues for several more seconds. After finally freeing her finger, the woman continues to hold onto the shark before throwing back into the water.

The U.K.'s Express reported the unidentified woman required only a few stitches on her hand. Nonetheless, she was charged with animal cruelty and fined $6,000 because the lemon shark is an endangered species and the shark was swimming in a conservation area where visitors are warned to avoid contact with the animals.

The troubling incident comes less than a month after a group of tourists in Argentina was blamed for the death of a baby dolphin after posing for pictures with the animal instead of returning it to the water.

While the offenders came away unscathed in that situation, a French tourist visiting Thailand was also injured during an ill-advised selfie attempt when she was bitten on the leg by a crocodile.

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