A Ranger employed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has died after being attacked by a Shark at North West Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef on Monday 6 April 2020. Zach Robba, 23, was one of a group of four workers swimming back to a boat after carrying out essential maintenance work on the island, when the Shark attacked him, biting him on the leg, hand, and arm. He received medical treatment in the boat from a doctor and paramedic flown to the scene, then was airlifted to the Gladstone Hospital, but subsequently died of his injuries.
Zach Robba, Queensland Park Ranger, killed by a Shark on 6 April 2020. Iona College Old Boys' Association/Facebook.
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.
This is the second Shark attack recorded in Australian waters this year, with a nine-year-old girl having survived an attack in January. There were eleven recorded Shark attacks in Australian waters in 2019, and 27 attacks in 2018, resulting in a single fatality.
Despite this there have been widespread calls for action to be taken
against Sharks in the Australian media, and in particular the
instillation of drum lines (baited traps) in areas where Sharks and
people have come into conflict, despite warnings by marine biologists
that these traps are of little value in preventing attacks. Some press
outlets have even gone as far as claiming that such traps have been
removed from areas like the Whitsunday Islands, where they have never
been used, due to pressure from environmental groups, suggesting that
the motivation for the claims may be motivated by politics rather than
concerns about public safety.
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