00:00 As of July 6, 2023, there have been 35 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide,
00:04 with six of those attacks being fatal.
00:07 At a time where people are meant to be enjoying their summer holidays
00:10 swimming, surfing, snorkeling and diving,
00:12 news of people being attacked by sharks can ruin any chance of you getting in the water.
00:17 But has there been more shark attacks, or do we just happen to be where they are?
00:21 The first theory is rising temperatures in the summer months.
00:24 One study warned that higher ocean temperatures were pushing sharks
00:28 from the warmer southern hemisphere to the cooler, more crowded north.
00:32 That makes it more likely for a human to encounter a shark.
00:35 The second theory is that higher temperatures also mean more beachgoers
00:40 providing more potential food for sharks.
00:42 The third theory is population growth.
00:44 Each year, it's expected that we have more humans entering the water.
00:48 This means the likelihood that attacks may increase.
00:51 Has there been an actual increase in attacks, though?
00:54 It's not just about how many shark attacks happen,
00:56 but also the rate at which they occur per million people.
00:59 Back in the 1950s, when there were around 2.5 billion people on the planet,
01:03 and now with over 8 billion folks,
01:06 if we look at the rate of unprovoked shark attacks per million people,
01:10 things pretty much stay the same.
01:11 But why are they attacking us unprovoked?
01:14 Sharks have been known to attack humans when they are confused or curious.
01:18 If a shark sees a human splashing in the water,
01:20 it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack.
01:24 Still, sharks have more to fear from humans than we do of them.
01:29 For Khalish Times, this is Yasmin with Shihad behind the camera.
01:33 (upbeat music)
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