An American tourist has died after being attacked by a Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, off the coast of Cocos Island, a Costa Rican territory in the Pacific Ocean, on Thursday 30 November 2017. Rohina Bhandari, 49, of New York was part of a diving expedition that was attacked by the animal, and was one of two people who received bites, along with a dive organiser, before the Shark broke off the attack and departed. Ms Bhandari was alive when pulled from the water, but had received a number of severe bites to her limbs and died despite receiving prompt medical treatment.
Rohina Bhandari, killed by a Tiger Shark off the coast of Cocos Island on 30 November 2017. Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images.
Despite their fearsome reputation, attacks by Sharks
are relatively rare and most attacks on Humans by Sharks are
thought to be mistakes. Tiger Sharks have a diverse diet, including invertebrates, Fish, Birds, Marine Reptiles and Marine Mammals,
which we superficially resemble when we enter the water. Marine Mammals are attacked principally for their thick adipose (fat) layers, which are a nutritious high-energy food, but which we lack. Due to this, when Sharks do attack Humans
these attacks are often broken off without the victim being consumed.
Such attacks frequently result in severe injuries, but are seldom
immediately fatal, and victims are likely to survive if they receive
immediate medical attention.
A Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier. Albert Kok/Wikimedia Commons.
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