Fear or Fiction? Shark Attacks in 2023

Khaleej Times

A growing numbers of sharks were spotted in popular beaches around the world this year. So, has there been an increase in sharks coming to the shore of is there just more humans on the planet? #sharks #summer

Transcript

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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