SA GW Attack hypes the media round the world

[Greatwhite70]

Shark attack rivets world
17/11/2004 08:41 - (SA)

Millicent Merton


Cape Town - The shark attack that took place at Fish Hoek on Monday has made headline news around the world.

Reports of 78-year-old Tyna Webb's death hit websites - from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC News Online, through to Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman, soon after the attack.

The Washington Times, The Times and the Globe and Mail also reported the attack, as did CNN.

Craig Lambinon of the National Sea Rescue Institute was quoted in all the reports.

He said the Great White shark was bigger than the rescue helicopter used in the search for Webb's body. Only her red swimming cap was recovered.

According to Times Online, Amanzimtoti near Durban is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world - with 11 recorded shark attacks since 1940.

Three of the victims died.

Other beaches on the "shark" list include New Smyrna beach in Florida, where six attacks took place in one weekend, Suape harbour in Brazil, which has seen the death of 14 people in shark attacks since 1990 and Australia, with 132 deadly attacks in 200 years.

[waxhead]

hey Great White. I think that its really kool that u keep people up to date with whats going on with the great white and what its been up to. I love sharks i think that they are very interesting and amazing creatures. They do attack people from time to time but that is nature, it does what any other animal is capable of, so i think people do look apon them as monsters more than they should. its there water !
But it is sad we cannot live without fear of them.

[Greatwhite70]

Thanks for your comments.
It is sad and common nature that as humans we fear that we do not understand. To be attacked or killed by a Shark is something most people fear.
Sharks are a part of the Marine eco system and play a vital role in keeping our oceans healthy.

Sharks and Great Whites are around people more than the media would let you know. Attacks are rare and in most cases the victims survive.
To label them as man eaters is somewhat overstated, Very few cases of Human consumption by GW have been documented, about 2 if I recall.
In most cases of death the victim bled out due to the nature of the attack on the body. The recent death in SA is unusual, nearly all incidents of hits, has the GW leave after it knows this is not what it eats. The SA attack had the victim hit 3 times which is a rare situation for repeated attack.

[Satyne]

Yup, this is a great site. Very up to date and fabulous to browse through!
What happened to Mrs Webb was horrific, but the overreaction by the media and public was ridiculous! Lions kill and EAT border jumpers up in the North all the time, but they aren't demonised to the same extent Great Whites are everytime a rare fatal (or even non-fatal)attack takes place. If someone gets out of his car in the Kruger National Park for a better shot of a pride of lions and gets attacked people nod sagely and say "well he shouldn't have gotten out of his car, should he?". When someone blithely ignores repeated shark warnings as well as lifeguard entreaties NOT to swim that far from shore and gets attacked there is an immediate public outcry of "shark nets" "hunt it down", "make our beaches safe again!" I am relieved that sense prevailed and that there will be no shark hunting taking place and no shark nets put up in Cape Town after Mrs Webb's death.

[Greatwhite70]

Hi Satyne,

Thanks for your post!
What you say is so true..

The problem is this when someone is shot and killed, it evokes a mild response in people. When someone was mutilated there begins the out cry.
The same happens when a Mountain lion or Shark attacks someone, it is seen as mutilation and barbaric to the point of being a horrifc crime.

GW like other predators are doing just that, they have been programmed for millions of years to hunt and survive. Sharks have been around longer than humans and have survived the test of time.

The biggest threat to them is Humans!
Nature is an amazing balancing act and it copes well. Throw us into the mix and we might as well be the Grim reaper..

Education on the role Sharks play in our oceans is important. Given our Oceans cover over three quarters of our planet, we have done a remarkable job of emptying it! Cod has been fished to the brink of extinction, millions of sharks are harvested every year for only there fins, the animal is pushed back into the water to die.
If we take things quicker than they can replace themselves, you don't have to be a scientist to figure out what comes next!

It is projected that due to pollution in our air settling in the oceans the PH levels are rising. Those that keep saltwater fish know only too well the balance that has to be maintained.
60 years could see the end of Coral reefs.
90 years would see the end of Polar bears due to global warming and change in habitat........

People see our ocenas as big and vast, they are.
But they are getting empty, we now fish deeper than before, bringing up species that have lived for a hundred years to eat!

The good news is many people do care about this and lobby there governemnts to do something.

Finning has just been banned in the Atlantic.