Wildlife park ranger dies after bitten by shark in 'horrific' attack near the Great Barrier Reef
A 23-year-old man, who worked as a ranger for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) lost his life after being bitten by a shark near the Great Barrier Reef on Monday, April 6.
According to a statement from QPWS, the man was on North West Island "with colleagues, to complete maintenance works as part of the QPWS essential works program." As he and his colleagues were heading back to the charter vessel, the man was attacked by the predator.
Although North West Island is a popular spot for walking, diving, snorkeling, and fishing, the Queensland police indicated that the reason behind the victim's death was “not a social swim" and that he was on a job.
"A doctor and paramedics responded to the scene and treated the man on board the vessel before he was transported to Gladstone Hospital. The man sustained life-threatening injuries to his leg, hand and elbow. He succumbed to those injuries just after 10 p.m." the police added.
While the man's identity was not confirmed by the officials, he was identified as Zach Robba in a Facebook post by Iona College, a day school in Queensland from which he graduated in 2014. "At this difficult time, we keep all Ionians in our prayers who are affected by this very sad loss. Every one of us has a Zach shaped hole in our heart. And each shape is unique... Our faith asks us to believe that death is a comma, not a full stop. Zach joins our Old Boy Ionians in eternal life," the post said in part.
On Tuesday, Annastacia Palaszczuk, the state Premier, expressed her sympathy for the deceased. “My understanding is he was employed by the Queensland parks and wildlife service,” she told reporters. “Once again a family out there is grieving for a young man who tragically has lost his life in this horrific shark attack. A lot of his work colleagues, I understand, were very upset today"
She also took to Twitter to offer her condolences on the incident. "My sincere condolences go out to the family, friends and QPWS colleagues of the 23-year-old man who lost his life in a horrific shark attack off the Central Queensland coast overnight," her tweet said.
In an online statement, QPWS said: "Our deepest thoughts and condolences go out to the family, loved ones and friends of our dear colleague. Support has been organized for all those impacted by this tragedy."
This is is reportedly the third shark attack in the area since December 30. However, none of them have been fatal. In January, a nine-year-old girl was bitten in the leg while days before, a 30-year-old man was bitten in the leg. They both sustained minor injuries and survived.
Before December of last year, a British tourist was bitten by a shark near Airlie Beach in Queensland in October. He ended up losing his foot in the incident. He was on a snorkeling trip to the nearby Whitsunday Islands with a fellow Britisher when he was attacked.