Three beachgoers were attacked by sharks in three days over normally peaceful area coastal waters. And no one knew what hit them.
On Sept. 1 in Virginia Beach, 10-year-old David Peltier died of massive blood loss after being torn up by an eight-foot bull shark.
Two days later, 28-year-old Sergei Zaloukev and his fiancee, Natalia Slobodskaya, also were attacked by a bull shark. Zaloukev was killed after being mauled in chest-deep water in Avon, N.C., 135 miles from the Virginia coast. Zaloukev lost his foot and a large amount of blood. Slobodskaya survived the attack, but her foot was severed at the ankle, and she sustained wounds to her legs and torso.She faces a long recovery from her injuries.
Because the last recorded attack in Virginia was almost 30 years ago, three attacks in such a short time span is unprecedented. And judging from past statistics from the International Shark Attack File, being fatally attacked by a shark is less likely than being struck and killed by lightning. Why are sharks attacking here? Why now? Should Virginia beachgoers be worried?
According to the ISAF, the probability of being a victim to an unprovoked shark attack has risen over the past century. Last year it hit an all-time high with 79 incidents worldwide, with 51 in the United States.
Chances of dying from an attack though, have gone down. Three deaths so far this year have been blamed on shark attacks, compared with 10 last year. According to the ISAF, only a small fraction of those attacked die each year.
The probability of an attack at Virginia beaches has not risen, according to Alice Ganlan, spokeswoman for the Virginia Marine Science Aquarium.
The ISAF noted that the Bull Shark, the believed culprit in both incidents, is rare in North Carolina and Virginia waters.
University wildlife biologist Mark Kopney believes that the rash of recent attacks might have been more a result of more humans being in the water than it did with an increase in the shark population.
"If the incidence of shark attacks on humans in nearshore waters has been increasing slightly in recent years, I think the most likely explanation is that the number of people are swimming and surfing in those waters has increased as well," Kopney said.
The shark population has actually declined due to commercial fishing and other environmental factors, according to the Ocean Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. The two environmental organizations have, as a result, asked a federal judge earlier this year to limit the amount of shark fishing in U.S. waters because of its already depleted numbers.
The increased numbers of beachgoers may explain the increased attacks, but it doesn't explain why these attacks were so violent, and why these particular individuals were victims.
Biologists believe that shark attacks often are cases of mistaken identity. Though some may believe otherwise, sharks do not methodically seek out humans as prey. While they hunt with a sophisticated arsenal of sensory techniques, their senses are not perfect.
"There is no reason, as far as I know, to think that sharks are becoming more aggressive," Kopney said.
Kopney said attacks occur because swimmers are in the wrong place at the wrong time. In both Virginia area attacks, the victims were in the water near dusk, a time when sharks begin to hunt and feed. Zaloukev was standing on a sandbar, a place where sharks are known to attack their prey.
Risk factors such as attack location and time may help explain why incidents like these happen, but it takes an analysis of how sharks hunt to fully understand.
Most times, sharks target fish schools. Sharks can stalk prey from long distances with methodical patience, but if a human bather was swimming in the school, chances of being attacked go up, since the shark might not be able to discriminate between the two.
"Sharks are gluttonous eaters," Ganlan said. "It is not unusual for them to take more than one bite out of their prey." This explains the multiple bite wounds and massive blood loss suffered by most victims.
Though people are now more likely to be hurt by a shark, the ISAF says humans remain 16 times more likely to be struck by lightning.
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | YesterdayThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 4 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
