The Strange Incident of the Coogee Aquarium Shark

In the 1920’s and 30s, shark attacks off the coast of New South Wales, Australia were not an especially uncommon event. In 1935, however, Sydney’s peaceful coastal charm was shattered by a grotesque discovery at the Coogee Aquarium that was anything but normal. A captured tiger shark, put on public display, vomited up a human arm—severed, tattooed, and unmistakably out of place. What began as a curiosity quickly spiraled into a chilling murder mystery involving gangsters, betrayal, and a body that was never found.

SOURCES

Roope, Phillip & Meagher, Kevin (2020) Shark Arm. Allen & Urwin, Crow’s Nest, Australia.

Brown, Anthony M. (2020) The Shark Arm Mystery: The Million to One Murder. New Era of Communications, London, UK.

Castles, Alex (1995) The Shark Arm Murders. Wakefield Press, MA, USA.

The Sydney Morning Herald (1932) Meal For Shark At The Coogee Aquarium. The Sydney Morning Herald, Mon 11 April 1932, p12. Sydney, Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald (1935) Shark Eats Shark. The Sydney Morning Herald Sat 20 April 1935, p11. Sydney, Australia. 

The Sydney Morning Herald (1935) Arm In Shark pool. The Sydney Morning Herald, Sat 27 April 1935, p20. Sydney, Australia.

Truth (1935) Vital Clue. Truth, Sun 28 April 1935, p20. Sydney, Australia.

Truth (1935) What Sick Shark Revealed. Truth, Sun 04 May 1935, p1. Sydney, Australia.

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