Death by Shark Is at a High in Australia. What’s Going On?
Though the soar in deaths is attention-grabbing, the probabilities of being mauled and killed by a shark are nonetheless extraordinarily slim, specialists say. Last yr, 11 folks had been concerned in what the International Shark Attack File defines as “unprovoked attacks” in Australia. None of these had been deadly. The most, 41, occurred in the United States, however no one died there, both.
Sharks don’t actively hunt human beings however could assault after they really feel threatened or confuse folks for prey. Drone footage, scientists say, has proven that sharks will usually swim in the identical water as surfers and bathers with out attacking them. Scientists are exploring options that embrace attaching LED lights to the bottoms of surfboard to stop sharks from complicated surfers with seals.
‘Political hot potato’
Still, the problem has grow to be a “political hot potato,” Professor Brown mentioned, with state governments speeding to speculate cash in beach-protection measures together with setting traps for the animals, utilizing drones to trace them and enclosing seashores in shark nets — even if the meshing packages have been shown to have little success.
The deaths have additionally reignited debate round culling the creatures, which animals rights activists say is inhumane. Nets positioned across the seashores to guard swimmers have additionally resulted in the unintentional deaths of hundreds of different marine creatures together with turtles, stingrays and aquatic mammals known as dugong.
Even a few of those that have been attacked by sharks oppose culling or taking pictures them. The police fired about 25 bullets at the shark that killed Mr. Cernobori.
“I’ve always been against the culling of them,” mentioned Phil Mummert, 28, who survived an assault off Western Australia in July. Mr. Mummert was browsing at Bunker Bay, south of Perth, when a shark bit his board in twoand punctured his higher thigh, simply an inch from his femoral artery.
He mentioned he was glad that, in the tip, the authorities had not succeeded in finding the shark that had attacked him. “There’s just no way to know that’s the one,” he mentioned.
