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As officials in the Seychelles hunt to to destroy the vicious shark they think killed two tourists, newlywed Gemma Redmond describes her husband's "awful" screams before his death. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Fatal shark attacks across the globe reached a 20-year high in 2011, researchers reported Tuesday, while attacks in the U.S. were the lowest over the last decade and none were fatal.
Many of the 12 fatal attacks were "in essentially out-of the way places, where there’s not the same quantity and quality of medical attention readily available,” George Burgess, director of the shark files compiled at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said in a statement issued with the report. "They also don’t have histories of shark attacks in these regions, so there are not contingency plans in effect like there are in places such as Florida."
Overall attacks were about average at 75 globally last year -- 29 of them in the U.S.
Fatalities were in Australia (3), the Reunion Islands (2), the Seychelle Islands (2), South Africa (2), Costa Rica (1), Kenya (1) and New Caledonia (1). The 2001-2010 average was 4.3 deaths, and 12 deaths hadn't been reported in any year since 1993.
"From the U.S. perspective," Burgess stated, "things have never been better; our attack and fatality rates continue to decline," adding that it could be fewer Americans are taking beach vacations because of the long recession.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Toasters kill more people then sharks in the USA but I'll take my chances with the toaster vs. a great white. I wonder how many people are killed by squirrels or deer each year? Can't be too careful. You know what I think I'll stay on my yard for the next couple days..
alan
You better wear a cup. Those squirrels are dangerous! ò¿ó
Its pay back for all the fins being cut off to ship to China for shark fin soup
Too bad the sharks can't go inland and get revenge on the people who actually butcher them for their fins. Another favorite is when wildlife kills the hunters! Serves them right, in my humble opinion. Karma is a bitch!!!
It's amazing how crass you can be about the killing of human life. Damn those people and their families who love them because they hunted right? You people who think like this are evil.
sosadtohear-if you live by the sword be prepared to die by the sword. The sea does not belong to humans, after all so should you decide to enter it be prerpared to add yourself to the foodchain...It's natures way of saying kiss my a$$
Sosad, people who value profit over the health of our oceans or the preservation of a species ARE evil. Sharks are only doing what sharks do - if you go in the ocean (or in some river tributaries if bull sharks are around), you're on their turf.
Clearly the sharks fear to anger us.
"Those bearded guys pissed them off, and they went ape$#!&! I think I'll double-check to make sure it's really a seal next time."
We need to credit President Obama for this. He is the reason behind the decline in United States shark attacks.
chad
õ¿õ
NO,NO,NO...It's Bushs' fault.
Over 300 people a year are murdered by other people in the city of Detroit vs 75 people killed in the WORLD by sharks. 26+ Million sharks are killed each year by fishermen, mostly to sell shark fins for shark fin soup.
Actually there were only 12 deaths last year - 75 attacks.
Unfortunately humans kill up to around 70 million sharks a year.
Does the second amendment cover spear guns ?
"adding that it could be fewer Americans are taking beach vacations because of the long recession."
Or it could be that Americans finally got smart and avoided...nah, no way that's the reason.
My bad, carry on.
Many of the 12 fatal attacks
Each year humans kill about a million sharks. That sounds fair.
/sarcasm
Try 70 million a year.
Yo,Fact....couldn't agree more...{no sarcasm}...as long as The Chinese need penis enhancers,more sharks will die....and Rhinos,Black Bear and Tigers....because everyone knows if you're not endowed an animal part will help you out!
Ever see Asian porn? It ain't working.
You're more likely to be struck by lighting than to be bit by a shark, but your chance of getting bit by a shark on land is zero.
The gov'ment's got to do som'thin!
It's just like fishing. The more bait in the water the more you catch.
Time to go fishing... with Saxton Hale.
It's just the sharks way of saying "Get off my lawn!".
Either its "Global Warming" or "Bushes" fault, LOL
And? Humans kill millions of sharks each year. Not all are dangerous. Remember, most of the roughly 450 species are not a threat. Squalus species being the big haul. For fish sticks folks.
You don't want to die by sharks, don't swim in their home. It's as easy as that.
And dont forget all the protection of seals going on. Now in a few years the seal population will expand and it will besides attract great whites, bull sharks and others that consider seals tasty.
Large sharks generally dont come close to shore, however, I lived in corpus christi for a few years and used to go out shark fishing with a buddy. Real easy walk out at low tide and throw in a sand trout on a weight. Let it sit as the tide comes in. when a shark hits the fight is on. Mostly caught blacktip which are small, and hammer head which have a small mouth. Once caught a bull shark. 6 feet long and that shark was nasty. never did swim out that far in the first place.
But while fishing one day, we saw a guy casting into the first gut about 10 feet out. then he would run to his car and drive up the beach and cast again. This went on for a while. When he got close there was a tiger shark about 10 feet out. We yelled at the swimmers to get outa the water, but they just looked at us, one even flipped us off. the guy finally caught the shark, and got it in. 640 pounds, and was 8 feet long. It was small and you coulda put your head in its mouth.
As many others have posted there's one sure, 100% way of not getting hit by a shark...don't go in the water.
I think this is a direct result of global warming. Definitely Global warming definitely.
People who research and follow sharks along the West Coast of California say that there may be less than 200 Great Whites along the coastline at any time now. I am a surfer and knew someone who was killed and another who was attacked by Great Whites. If you asked most surfers they don't wish ill on any shark...the Ocean is their world and you are just playing in it.....
If MORE people had your attitude I'm sure there would be a LOT more sharks in the oceans. But, and unfortunatley, every time there's an attack every idiot with a boat goes out aiming to catch the 'killer shark'. The odds of actually catching the exact shark that did the attack are about as good as getting hit by lightening twice in the same day.
I think we should kill more sharks, they're all over paid and think they are better than everyone else, especially the ones who chase ambulances.
Hmm i wonder why, maybe its because of all these poachers, they just "found" a rare dead 40 foot whale shark today off the coast of Pakistan. Could somebody tell me how shark attacks have to do with Global Warming? That seems like the solution to every problem nowadays.
What do you call swimmers in waters known for sharks? Chum.
something has to be done about this menace. All those people , some children who never had the chance to grow up. All they wanted was a swimming holiday and became eaten instead. The world should do something with its navies and hunt them all down so the world is once again safe.
I REALLY hope that was an attempt at humor. If you're serious then you are about as ignorant as one can get. You want the world's navies to hunt down every shark and kill them?? When you or anyone goes into the water you are in the sharks domain. The same as going into the woods and getting bit by a snake. The shark sees one thing...food. Most of the time it's a case of mistaken identity. Unfortunately for humans that mistake can be fatal.
Sharks are an apex predator and, regardless if you like them or not, they serve a purpose. When you remove any apex predator from an environment that environment will slowly but surely begin to fall apart or become out of balance. There's one sure way of not getting bit by a shark...stay out of the water.
Here's to hoping the herd is thinned even more.
Are you speaking of thinning the shark "herd" or the human "herd"? Your statement doesn't define which "herd" you're talking about.
Stupid Obama!
Im a Florida gulf coast resident w a boat, jet ski, paddle board, and swim in the ocean to work out. Sharks are EVERYWHERE, everyday in constant extremely close proximity to people doing everything they do on or in the water. I have a friend that flys a plane w a banner trailing behind to advertise whatever, he refuses to get in the water because he sees what everyone else doesn't. Schools of 10+ sharks cruising through the super crowded beaches of clearwater and st pete, cutting between groups of people, between kids and the shore in 2' of water. I personally have caught countless amounts off weedon island and by the skyway bridge from two foot 15 lbs bonnet heads all the way up to ten foot 400 LBS bull sharks. My point is if they wanted to eat you they would, but sharks are one of the most advanced animals on the planet. They dont go after food if they think they will get hurt doing it, they rarely get cancer and if they do the recovery rate is huge, they are perfectly brillant killing machines. My main concern is the overfishing of our greatest natural resource to the point that these perfect underwater killing machines will have to expand their diet, however decline in attacks must mean something good and hopefully not less sharks.
O yea and shark attacks are bush's fault.