Fourth of July celebrations turned bloody when a shark injured several people near South Padre Island, Texas.
The interactions included at least two bites, according to ABC affiliate KRGV. The outlet reported that a single shark was involved in all four incidents. It’s not clear what kind of shark it was.
One man with a “severe” leg bite was treated and taken to the hospital. The shark also bit a second person and grazed a third. A fourth person was hurt trying to deter the shark, Texas game warden captain Chris Dowdy told KRGV.
Paramedics treated one injured woman on the beach, according to KVEO.
South Padre Island police received a call about one of the bites at around 11 a.m. local time. The other incidents happened over the course of two hours, according to Dowdy. The shark was roughly 6 feet long, and witnesses said it appeared to be the one involved in all the interactions.
Local police used a helicopter and drones to monitor the shark. After the incidents, it swam for open water, according to Dowdy.
The chances of being bitten by a shark are extremely low
Shark attacks are rare in general. In 2021, an 11-year-old was suspected of receiving a shark bite on South Padre Island. But before today, Cameron County, where the island is located, only had seven confirmed unprovoked shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum’s International Shark Attack File.
“Shark bites are a function of the number of sharks, but also the number of humans in the water,” Yannis Papastamatiou, an associate professor of biological sciences at Florida International University, told Business Insider last year.
Beach attendance has steadily risen across the US each year since the mid-1990s, according to the Florida Museum.
Experts say to help stay safe from sharks, swimmers should stay away from schools of fish where sharks feed, stay close to shore, and stay in groups so it’s more likely someone will spot a fin.
Murky water also makes it harder for sharks to distinguish between people and their food. Swimming around dusk can be more dangerous because that’s typically when sharks eat.
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