The Irish Wildlife Trust has spoken out over “sensationalised” media coverage of an incident off Co Waterford in which a man was bitten by a blue shark.
As The Journal reports, the casualty was part of a group on a sea angling vessel some four miles off Ram Head on Tuesday (11 August) and was bitten after landing the shark on board.
The man was subsequently airlifted to hospital in Cork for treatment of his leg wound.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Irish Wildlife Trust said it was “disappointed to see the number of newspaper articles reporting on this accident without giving the details of what happened”.
It outlined the facts that the casualty was one of a group of anglers who were shark fishing for recreation, and while removing a hook from the 1.4-metre blue shark’s mouth, the shark bit his leg.
“Shark bites are a rare and unusual occurrence, but a perfectly natural response from an animal that is in a stressful situation,” the trust said. “We are glad that the emergency services reacted quickly and the man is recovering well in hospital.”
But in its statement on social media, the IWT directed its ire at numerous articles that “have sensationalised this incident”.
It added: “The writing has failed to accurately describe what happened and gives the impression that someone was attacked by a shark unprovoked.
“Sharks are wild animals and like any wild animal, the utmost care must be taken if you are planning to have any interactions with them.”
