Shark Bites Boy Wading At Cocoa Beach


A shark bites a wading boy playing in shallow water at Cocoa Beach in Florida. The 10-year-old boy is currently recovering from his wounds in an area hospital. The shark reportedly bit the boy severely on his calf. The shark attack has been deemed unprovoked and the boy is reportedly lucky to be alive.

The shark bite victim, not yet identified publicly, was reportedly playing and wading in waist-deep water on Sunday when he suffered two bites. The boy was with his family at Lori Wilson Park, according to a USA Today report. The boy’s mother was in the water with him when the shark attack occurred.

The shark bite attack witnesses said that small bull sharks had been spotted in shallow water on Cocoa Beach earlier the same day. Some witnesses and Florida officials have blamed the bull sharks for causing the attack on the boy in shallow water. Brevard County Ocean Rescue Assistant Chief Eisen Witcher said juvenile bull sharks are known to be aggressive, could have been behind the attack.

The following is an excerpt from a National Geographic report about bull sharks.

“Bull sharks are aggressive, common, and usually live near high-population areas like tropical shorelines. They are not bothered by brackish and freshwater, and even venture far inland via rivers and tributaries. Because of these characteristics, many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous sharks in the world. Historically, they are joined by their more famous cousins, great whites and tiger sharks, as the three species most likely to attack humans.”

Cocoa Beach shark activity has reportedly been on the rise. Brevard County first responders have reportedly responded to 10 shark bite incidents at the Florida beach already this year. Ocean Rescue lifeguards treated the child’s injuries by swaddling his leg in layers of thick bandages, shark bite attack witnesses told the media. The boy was transported to Cape Canaveral Hospital by ambulance and was reportedly airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando for further treatment.

Visitors to Cocoa Beach were ordered out of the water for about an hour after the shark bite attack on the boy, according to Brevard County spokesman Don Walker. Lifeguards reportedly spotted the 10-year-old boy “struggling” in the shallow water and ran to his rescue. The Florida life guards carried the boy ashore and offered first aid until an ambulance arrived on the beach.

“It was definitely one of the worst ones that we’ve seen in our area that we’ve responded to, mainly because of the size of the bite,” Assistant Chief Witcher said.

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]

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