Rare Attack! Shark mauls teen to death after she jumped into river to swim with dolphins while jet skiing with friends
PERTH, AUSTRALIA: In a rare attack, a teenage girl was reportedly mauled to death by a shark on Saturday afternoon, February 4, as she swam in the Swan River south of Perth. WA Police Acting Fremantle District Inspector Paul Robinson said that the girl jumped into the water to swim with dolphins while jet skiing with friends at around 3:20 in the afternoon. The incident reportedly happened near the old Fremantle traffic bridge and despite paramedics' efforts, she could not be saved. The teenager was pronounced dead at around 6 pm.
The monstrous animal was described as an 'unknown species of shark' by authorities. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said as reported by The Daily Telegraph, “A female received injuries after being bitten by an unknown species of shark at approximately 3.35 pm on February 4, 2023,” before noting, “DPIRD is working with WA Police and local authorities to coordinate responses. A DPIRD Fisheries vessel is on the water monitoring the area, and DPIRD officers are conducting land-based patrols.”
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‘An extremely traumatic event'
Robinson shared that at the time of the unfortunate episode, the unnamed girl was not accompanied by her family, only her pals were with her. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation citing the police reported, “The investigation is still ongoing, it is still very early stages, however all indications by witness accounts is that it appears to be a shark-related incident.”
Robinson also told the publication, “I've spoken to fisheries and water police and unfortunately we have no idea what type of shark it is.” He added, “Her friends were and as you can imagine this is an extremely traumatic incident for anyone to witness so obviously, we're offering counseling services to anyone who did witness it or is affected by the incident. I'm not going to go into the details of the injuries, it's an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved and anyone who knew the young girl.”
'Pretty scary'
The incident has shaken the whole community as a local resident named Nathan Vasta reportedly said, “I swim here sometimes just off the bridge. It's kind of haunting knowing that it could've been me. I heard someone's leg got bitten, I didn't really hear what her injuries were. I heard someone saying that it was a very deep cut. It's pretty scary because I like being in the water and the river is quite local to me.”
Besides, WA Fisheries Minister Don Punch expressed his thoughts as he told The West Australian, “I am incredibly saddened by what has happened and I cannot begin to imagine what the victim’s family and friends are going through. We offer them our support but understand they will need time and space as they deal with this tragedy."
Marine ecologist Johan Gustafson from Griffith University said that bull sharks are found in Australian rivers. He shared, "Except the southern end where it's a bit too cold. It'll be the same from Perth all the way over to Sydney. You won't actually find a massive, huge white shark up in a river. There's not enough food for it, it's too shallow for them." About sharks attacking humans, the ecologist added, "On the Gold Coast, where we've got a lot of canals and rivers all connected [and] we've got a huge population on the water, we haven't had any incidents for quite a long time. And with the Swan [River] as well, there hasn't been a recorded [fatal incident] in nearly 100 years."