Search For Shark Who Bit Boy Draws Criticism

After biting a boy’s foot in the Andaman Sea, a suspected bull shark is the subject of a cash reward upon being found.

The shark bit the boy, aged 12, at the Chebilang pier in the southern province of Satun last Thursday when he was playing at their pier with friends.

The Chebilang mayor Mahmadneesum Bilungload offered 1,000 THB as an incentive for people to search for the shark, even venturing out himself by a long tail boat to look for it. However, the move has drawn criticism from the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment saying that the mayor should post warning signs and announcements instead of demonising a shark breed.

“Don’t offer a bounty for a shark or support the hunt for a reward.”

The boy, Harafat Limapicharsakul, was swinging his legs in the canal where bull sharks are known to frequent.

Researchers from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department say it was most likely a bull shark bite. The department’s director general says that bull sharks are not typically aggressive, “but maybe they shark saw the boy’s swing legs as a threat”.

 

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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