Shark attacks Aussie surfer
2005-09-25 13:31
Adelaide - A shark attacked and injured a surfer on Sunday in the sea off southern Australia's Kangaroo Island, rescuers said.
The victim, a man in his 20s, suffered leg injuries and was pulled from the water by friends, an ambulance service spokesperson told Australian Associated Press.
South Australia ambulance spokesperson Lee Francis said the man was treated at the scene before being airlifted to the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia state, where he underwent surgery for lacerations to both of his legs.
"He's very lucky to be alive on this occasion," Francis said. "It could've been a fatal attack if it wasn't for the quick thinking of his friends."
The attack came just two days after a surfer in western Australia fought off a shark by punching it in the head.
Sunday's was the latest in a string of shark attacks off the coast of southern Australia, a known haunt for giant great white sharks.
On September 4, surfer Jake Heron survived being mauled by a shark near the town of Port Lincoln.
On August 24, marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens was eaten by a shark while diving for cuttlefish eggs near the popular Glenelg Beach in the South Australia state capital, Adelaide.
The fatal attack on Stehbens was close to the spot where 18-year-old surfer Nick Peterson was killed by a great white in December last year.
Earlier this month, South Australia state Emergency Services Minister Carmel Zollo said a rescue helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft would patrol Adelaide beaches during the coming summer.
Great whites are a protected species but the attacks have prompted calls for a cull to reduce numbers.
- AP