Killer sharks 'planted by Israel':
10:00 AEST Wed Dec 8 2010
An Egyptian official has claimed sharks that killed one person and injured four others at a tourist beach in Egypt may have been planted by an Israeli spy agency to hurt the country's economy.
The regional governor for South Sinai, Abdel Fadil Shousha, said claims Israel planned the attacks were not 'out of the question', The Sun newspaper reports.
A German woman snorkeler was killed on Sunday after her leg was torn off and four others were mauled over the past week in waters near Sharm El Sheikh's Hyatt Regency.
'What is being said about the Mossad [Israel's spy agency] throwing the deadly shark in the sea to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question. But it needs time to confirm,' Mr Shousha was quoted as saying.
The theory was first heard by an expert diver from Sharm El Sheik who was interviewed on Egypt Today.
Diver Captain Mustafa Ismail said the sharks involved in the attack, two of which were caught by authorities last week, were oceanic whitetip sharks and do not live in the waters around Egypt.
When the interviewer asked Ismail how they entered the Red Sea, he said: 'No, it's who let them in?'
Ismail said a small shark had been found by an Israeli diver in Eilat — another resort area and busy port at the northern tip of the Red Sea — with a GPS device planted in its back.
'Why would these sharks travel 4000km and not have any accidents until they entered Sinai waters?' Ismail said.
But a local marine biologist said it was 'sad' Egyptian national TV had helped spread the theory.
Professor of marine biology at Suez Canal University Mahmoud Hanafy said the GPS device did not indicate a conspiracy because tracking devices were often used to study marine life.
'Here in Egypt we put these devices on turtles, in danger of becoming extinct, so that we can watch their behaviour, see where they live, feed and lay their eggs,' Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram quoted Hanafy as saying.
'It is sad that they made a person whose only knowledge of sharks comes from the movie Jaws go on national TV to propagate this mumbo-jumbo.'
Last week officials told locals and tourists it was safe to go back into the water after they captured two sharks they believed were behind the attacks.
Local divers filmed video of a shark swimming in the area just hours before the first mauling — but it is not clear whether that shark has attacked anybody.
The shark on the tape is missing a chunk out of its tail which experts say could cause it to act aggressively.
There is speculation the sharks were drawn to the area after cattle and sheep brought in for last month's Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha died at sea.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
More than one killer shark in the waters
Egypt facing 'worst case scenario': more than one killer shark in the waters - Telegraph:
7:18PM GMT 07 Dec 2010
Scientists scouring the waters off Egypt's premier Red Sea resort have admitted that they are facing a 'worst case scenario' after concluding that a spate of attacks on swimmers in the area was the work of at least two sharks.
A shortfin mako shark similar to the one captured last week that has been forensically identified as the culprit behind last Wednesday's attack on two swimmers from Russia and Ukraine
Conservationists and marine biologists had hoped that a lone rogue shark was responsible for the death of a German woman and the mauling of four other tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh over the past week.
But Egyptian officials in the Sinai peninsula yesterday disclosed that a shortfin mako shark captured last week had been forensically identified as the culprit behind last Wednesday's attack on two swimmers from Russia and Ukraine.
'The bite on one of the victims has been matched with the teeth of the Mako,' said Ahmed el-Edkawy, the deputy secretary general of South Sinai governorate.
'We are confident that this shark was responsible for the second incident.'
That one of the culprits responsible for the mysterious terror visited on Sharm el-Sheikh's beaches may have seemed like good news.
But with witnesses saying that the latest attack, was carried out by a whitetip, scientists are being forced to confront the likelihood that sharks from two different species have suddenly developed man-killing tendencies.
More worryingly, scientists now have no idea how many sharks may have developed a taste for human flesh – making both the hunt for the killers and a search for the explanation of their bizarre behaviour far more complicated.
'Our best case scenario was of a single shark that would move out of the area, solving the problem' said Elke Bojanowski, a German expert on Red Sea sharks involved in the international hunt for rogue predators.
'But if there was more than one then we have to look for a trigger that is influencing the sharks' behaviour and it may be impossible to find.
'If we don't have a clue what the trigger is then what are we to do?' Three international shark experts from the United States flew into Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday to join the investigation.
George Burgess, the Florida-based director of the International Shark Attack File, said the team was examining whether changes in underwater ecology or the illegal practice of baiting the sharks with meat could be responsible for the crisis.
Scientists on the team said they had heard reports of tour guides throwing chickens overboard to attract the sharks.
The attacks have been confined to a three-mile stretch of shore and at similar times indicating that the sharks may be gathering at an area where they are used to being fed.
Egyptian authorities, already facing criticism for reopening beaches prematurely over the weekend, yesterday allowed swimming and snorkelling to go ahead outside the danger zone.
Gen el-Edkawy of the South Sinai governorate yesterday insisted that no tourists had cancelled their trips to Sharm el-Sheikh.
In an apparent attempt to prove the waters safe, he donned a wet suit and jumped into the water just yards from the spot where the German woman was killed.
Emerging 20 minutes later, he pulled his mask to one side and proclaimed: 'I saw a lot of beautiful marine life. It was wonderful. Everything is wonderful. This city is a gift from God and I'm sure everything is safe.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
7:18PM GMT 07 Dec 2010
Scientists scouring the waters off Egypt's premier Red Sea resort have admitted that they are facing a 'worst case scenario' after concluding that a spate of attacks on swimmers in the area was the work of at least two sharks.
A shortfin mako shark similar to the one captured last week that has been forensically identified as the culprit behind last Wednesday's attack on two swimmers from Russia and Ukraine
Conservationists and marine biologists had hoped that a lone rogue shark was responsible for the death of a German woman and the mauling of four other tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh over the past week.
But Egyptian officials in the Sinai peninsula yesterday disclosed that a shortfin mako shark captured last week had been forensically identified as the culprit behind last Wednesday's attack on two swimmers from Russia and Ukraine.
'The bite on one of the victims has been matched with the teeth of the Mako,' said Ahmed el-Edkawy, the deputy secretary general of South Sinai governorate.
'We are confident that this shark was responsible for the second incident.'
That one of the culprits responsible for the mysterious terror visited on Sharm el-Sheikh's beaches may have seemed like good news.
But with witnesses saying that the latest attack, was carried out by a whitetip, scientists are being forced to confront the likelihood that sharks from two different species have suddenly developed man-killing tendencies.
More worryingly, scientists now have no idea how many sharks may have developed a taste for human flesh – making both the hunt for the killers and a search for the explanation of their bizarre behaviour far more complicated.
'Our best case scenario was of a single shark that would move out of the area, solving the problem' said Elke Bojanowski, a German expert on Red Sea sharks involved in the international hunt for rogue predators.
'But if there was more than one then we have to look for a trigger that is influencing the sharks' behaviour and it may be impossible to find.
'If we don't have a clue what the trigger is then what are we to do?' Three international shark experts from the United States flew into Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday to join the investigation.
George Burgess, the Florida-based director of the International Shark Attack File, said the team was examining whether changes in underwater ecology or the illegal practice of baiting the sharks with meat could be responsible for the crisis.
Scientists on the team said they had heard reports of tour guides throwing chickens overboard to attract the sharks.
The attacks have been confined to a three-mile stretch of shore and at similar times indicating that the sharks may be gathering at an area where they are used to being fed.
Egyptian authorities, already facing criticism for reopening beaches prematurely over the weekend, yesterday allowed swimming and snorkelling to go ahead outside the danger zone.
Gen el-Edkawy of the South Sinai governorate yesterday insisted that no tourists had cancelled their trips to Sharm el-Sheikh.
In an apparent attempt to prove the waters safe, he donned a wet suit and jumped into the water just yards from the spot where the German woman was killed.
Emerging 20 minutes later, he pulled his mask to one side and proclaimed: 'I saw a lot of beautiful marine life. It was wonderful. Everything is wonderful. This city is a gift from God and I'm sure everything is safe.'
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Monday, December 6, 2010
Serial Killer on the loose?
Five people attacked in under one week in the same place!
A British mother was 'thrown around in blood' after rushing into the ocean to help a woman being mauled to death by a shark.
Ellen Barnes said she heard the victim screaming for help after the shark struck at Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday.
The German woman, who died after losing a leg, is the fifth person to be attacked in the same area in under a week. Her death comes just 24 hours after authorities declared the area 'safe'.
Ms Barnes said she ran into the water but could not see the victim because the shark's thrashing made it impossible to see.
'The water was churning like I was in a washing-machine ... the shark was thrashing and tearing at this poor woman and I could barely keep my head above the water it was so choppy,' she told The Sun newspaper.
The 31-year-old, who was holidaying with her two young children, said lifeguards watched and waited for the victim's body to drift to shore before doing anything
Last Tuesday two women — including a 70-year-old — were attacked, with one suffering back injuries and the other losing a leg and hand.
The next day, two other tourists had their legs bitten off.
Officials told locals and tourists it was safe to go back into the water after they captured two sharks they believed were behind the attacks.
Local divers filmed video of a shark swimming in the area just hours before the first mauling — but it is not clear whether that shark has attacked anybody.
The shark on the tape is missing a chunk out of its tail which experts say could cause it to act aggressively.
There is speculation the sharks were drawn to the area after cattle and sheep brought in for last month's Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha died at sea.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
A British mother was 'thrown around in blood' after rushing into the ocean to help a woman being mauled to death by a shark.
One of the sharks believed to be involved in the attacks at the Egypt resort.
Ellen Barnes said she heard the victim screaming for help after the shark struck at Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday.
The German woman, who died after losing a leg, is the fifth person to be attacked in the same area in under a week. Her death comes just 24 hours after authorities declared the area 'safe'.
Ms Barnes said she ran into the water but could not see the victim because the shark's thrashing made it impossible to see.
'The water was churning like I was in a washing-machine ... the shark was thrashing and tearing at this poor woman and I could barely keep my head above the water it was so choppy,' she told The Sun newspaper.
The 31-year-old, who was holidaying with her two young children, said lifeguards watched and waited for the victim's body to drift to shore before doing anything
Last Tuesday two women — including a 70-year-old — were attacked, with one suffering back injuries and the other losing a leg and hand.
The next day, two other tourists had their legs bitten off.
Officials told locals and tourists it was safe to go back into the water after they captured two sharks they believed were behind the attacks.
Local divers filmed video of a shark swimming in the area just hours before the first mauling — but it is not clear whether that shark has attacked anybody.
The shark on the tape is missing a chunk out of its tail which experts say could cause it to act aggressively.
There is speculation the sharks were drawn to the area after cattle and sheep brought in for last month's Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha died at sea.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
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