I think this makes it 6-7 shark attacks in the last 2 weeks, crazy…
VIA – AP
Doctors: Shark likely bit US tourist in PRico
By DANICA COTO
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.S. tourist who was swimming at night in a bioluminescent bay is recovering from a suspected shark bite that occurred in a tiny island near Puerto Rico, a doctor said Wednesday.
The woman underwent surgery for severed tendons near her ankle and is expected to recover, said Dr. Edwin Miranda, a spokesman for the Rio Piedras Medical Center, where the victim was treated.
He said doctors believe the bite may have been caused by a shark, but they are awaiting analysis from a marine biologist Thursday.
Authorities didn’t release the woman’s name. The newspaper El Nuevo Dia described her as a 27-year-old woman from Idaho who was traveling alone, according to an acquaintance of hers in Puerto Rico.
Marine experts said they suspected a shark was to blame based on descriptions of the extent of the injuries, although they had not seen pictures of the bite.
“It is a possibility,” said Ruperto Chaparro, a biologist and director of the Sea Grant conservation program in Puerto Rico. “For me, the shark bit her and said, ‘This is not what I want to eat’ and left.”
The woman was bitten late Tuesday while swimming at Mosquito Bay in Vieques, an island popular with tourists just east of Puerto Rico. The bay attracts hundreds of visitors with its bioluminescent waters filled with microscopic organisms that light up when something disturbs them.
The bay’s murky waters also act as a nursery for many fish species, including sharks, said Francisco Pagan, a marine biologist at the University of Puerto Rico.
Pagan said he suspected a juvenile shark was to blame after it was startled or it confused the woman’s leg with a food source. Tiger, nurse and reef sharks are the most common species in the area, but attacks are extremely rare, he said.
“I would not worry,” Pagan said. “This is not at all common.”
Puerto Rico has had only six recorded shark attacks, two of them fatal, with the last death reported in 1924, according to statistics from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
For the full story go here:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_PUERTO_RICO_SHARK_BITE?SITE=WCNC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
For all the shark attacks this month, go here:
Russian swimmer alive after rare shark attack
http://surftweeters.com/another-shark-attack-russian-swimmer-alive-after-rare-shark-attack/
UPDATE: Shark attack victim loses both hands, in stable condition after surgery
French diver dies after suspected shark attack in Seychelles
http://surftweeters.com/french-diver-dies-after-suspected-shark-attack-in-seychelles/
Maritime Safety Advisory Issued
Emergency meeting held to address freak shark accident in Praslin
http://surftweeters.com/another-shark-attack-in-seychelles-2-deaths-this-month/
http://surftweeters.com/update-shark-attack-british-honeymooner-killed-shark-hunt-begins/
Shark bites man fishing off Beaufort inlet
Fisherman, son survive shark attack
http://surftweeters.com/fisherman-son-survive-shark-attack/
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