Rescue teams and drones spotted sharks again on Tuesday morning local time off Tamarama and Bronte beaches in the east of the Australian metropolis. Swimmers are banned from entering the water while authorities continue to monitor the situation, according to the state of New South Wales’ shark warning platform, Shark Smart.
Footage from the online platform Drone Shark App had in recent days shown a great white shark off Bondi Beach, popular with surfers and tourists from around the world. Other dangerous shark species are also believed to have been sighted. On Thursday, surfers were told via loudspeaker to return to shore immediately after a shark was spotted nearby.
Two weeks ago, a severe shark attack at nearby Coogee Beach caused nationwide shock. A 35-year-old woman was attacked on June 13 while swimming near the shore, allegedly by a great white shark, and suffered life-threatening injuries. To save her life, doctors had to amputate one arm. She also sustained severe wounds to a leg.
According to her family, the mother’s condition has since improved significantly. She is no longer in life-threatening danger, is awake and responsive, and has been able to see her young daughter for the first time since the attack, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing a statement from her brother. His sister remembers the entire incident in detail. Further operations lie ahead.
The incident has reignited long-running debates in Australia about how to deal with sharks. After such attacks, calls for culling regularly emerge, but scientists point out that the benefits of such measures are hard to prove and that great white sharks are strictly protected. The authorities in New South Wales are therefore investing more in drones, electronic surveillance, and other warning systems, while acknowledging that the risk in the ocean can never be completely eliminated.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
