According to Manly Sea Life Sanctuary aquarist Robbie McCracken, the shark was suffering "stress and duress" due to being in unfamiliar territory and after "some rest and a chance to calm down from his beaching ordeal", he was later transferred by truck to the aquarium where he spent the night in an isolation tank while experts monitored his condition.

A NSW Fisheries spokesperson said together with "sharkologists" and a team of vets, Fluffy was released into deeper waters off the coast.

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary "aquarists" now have high hopes for the animal.

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"White sharks are generally found in offshore environments and are strong swimmers so it is really unusual for one to wash up like this. We have been involved in dozens of rescues over the years but this one was certainly unique. It was truly a privilege to work with this species and it is always great to be able to release an animal like this back to the wild and to see the amount of public support he had," said Rob Townsend, life sciences manager at Manly Sea Life Sanctuary.