Presidential hopeful Michael Flatley said he was given rare great white shark jaws as a “gift”, after it emerged the Lord of the Dance star had been alleged to have sparked a South African trophy shark bone trade that further threatened the endangered species.
A spokeswoman for Mr Flatley suggested the former Riverdance star might have donated the shark jaws to a museum, but later seemed to suggest this might not have happened.
Court documents filed in a dispute over insurance at his Co Cork mansion, Castlehyde, show shark jaws were one of a number of high-value items that the millionaire kept in his mansion, which reportedly had a “safari room”.
Mr Flatley has expressed his intention to run for president of Ireland in this year’s contest, which is likely to be held in late October.
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Mr Flatley has collected a number of animal artefacts over the years, including the skull of an Alaskan bear and the set of great white shark jaws, which originated in South Africa.
In 2016, shark conservationists carried out a landmark study of the great white shark population along the entire South African coastline. The stark findings suggested the breed had depleted and was facing extinction. At a media briefing launching the findings in Cape Town, respected shark expert Michael Rutzen reportedly alleged Mr Flatley had been partly responsible for inflating the shark jaw market in South Africa after he acquired a set.
“He got himself the biggest jaw ever caught in South Africa,” Mr Rutzen said. “But what we saw in the field is the fishermen heard about it and started taking the big animals to wait for the next Mike Flatley.”
Mr Rutzen had claimed that Mr Flatley had been given the jaw in exchange for a £30,000 donation to a retirement fund for local fishermen.
A spokeswoman for Mr Flatley said the dancer “is well known for his kindness and generosity”.
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“Over the past three decades he supported multiple charities both at home in Ireland and throughout the world. He recalls being asked to make a donation almost 30 years ago for which he sought nothing in return but was given an artefact as a thank-you in recognition of his kind gesture. Most gifts of this nature that Mr Flatley received were subsequently donated to relevant museums,” she said.
According to court documents reported last year, a set of shark jaws were in the possession of Mr Flatley in his Castlehyde estate, near Fermoy, Co Cork, until at least 2015.
The world-famous Irish dancer, who currently lives in Monaco, previously came under pressure from animal rights activists when it emerged he had an African rhino horn in the “safari room” of Castlehyde. The existence of the rhino horn, with an estimated black market value of €200,000, only emerged after the endangered species part was stolen in 2014. The thieves, who were never caught, were pursued by Mr Flatley in his sports car but managed to evade him.
[ Gardaí investigate Flatley rhino horn burglaryOpens in new window ]
Mr Flatley also previously owned mounted gazelle heads and zebra-fur framed mirrors, which were included in a 2020 auction of some of his Castlehyde items. Mr Flatley sold a muzzle-like mask worn by actor Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs for €85,000 in the same auction.
