10-year-old boy survives after being 'grabbed from boat' by shark in Tasmania
A 10-year-old Australian boy is in hospital with arm, head and chest injuries after being dragged from a six-metre boat by a shark.
The boy and his father, along with two other men, were on a fishing trip 5km off the north-western coast of Tasmania at 4pm local time when a shark is said to have grabbed him from the boat.
His father jumped into the water and the shark swam away, according to a statement from Ambulance Tasmania.
The boy was wearing a life jacket at the time and is in a stable condition.
At 2.30pm a warning was issued by local police that a “large shark” had been sighted 10km off the coast.
“If swimming or undertaking fishing and other marine activities please take necessary precautions,” the statement said.
Shark attacks are rare in Tasmania, particularly when compared to New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
There have been just 12 recorded fatal shark attacks in Tasmanian waters – the most recent one five years ago.
Natalie Banks, an Australian researcher and director of marine conservation organisation Azraq, told The Telegraph that “incidents whereby a person is pulled from a boat [by a shark] are extremely rare”.
“It would appear that the shark was attracted to either the bait or the fish being caught in this particular case,” she said.
Australia has one of the world's highest incidences of shark attacks and there have been five fatal maulings in the country so far this year.
The most recent was a 15-year-old surfer killed last week off the country's eastern coast.
Debate has raged in Australia over the best way to stop the attacks.
Comparisons have been drawn between Australia's record at deterring sharks and that of South Africa, which has successfully deployed shark-spotting programmes off the coast of Cape Town, despite having the world's second highest number of great white sharks.
