A child’s arm was amputated after a shark attack in Florida
A boy was mauled by a bull shark in Florida’s Keys Islands on Saturday but “miraculously” escaped it.
Studies show that sharks that don’t intentionally attack humans, confuse surfers or swimmers with their usual prey. (illustrative picture)
AFP
A 10-year-old boy has had part of his leg amputated after being bitten by a shark in the Florida Keys, his family has announced. Jameson Reeder Jr. was struck at Lou Key Reef Saturday afternoon, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
The boy, who was on a boat with his family, was snorkelling in these shallow reefs when he was struck in the leg by a 2.4m “bull shark”, his uncle Joshua Reeder said on Facebook.
Jameson Reeder Jr. “miraculously” hung onto a floating foam stick and was saved by family members who put a tourniquet on his leg, Joshua Reeder said. The boy was hospitalized in Miami with a below-the-knee amputation. “He is now out of the operating theater and resting,” his uncle wrote.
A large number of attacks
An online kitty started by his family had raised more than $50,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. An unusually high number of shark attacks off the coast of New York state have raised fears in the United States this summer, but the risk of being bitten by the animal remains low.
Locally, the situation varies greatly from one year to another, but globally, around 75 shark attacks are still recorded each year. The death toll is about five.
Studies show that sharks that don’t intentionally attack humans, confuse surfers or swimmers with their usual prey. In the United States, most attacks occur on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
AFP
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