'Sardine run raises shark risk'

30 June 2015 - 02:02 By Jerome Cornelius

An increase in fish activity in the ocean along the Garden Route could be behind the two shark attacks that occurred at the weekend. UCT students Dylan Reddering, 23, and Caleb Swanepoel, 19, were attacked by sharks in Plettenberg Bay and Buffels Bay respectively. Both men are recovering in hospital, though Swanepoel lost a leg.Dr Alison Kock, research manager at Shark Spotters, said: " The sardine run brings a lot of predators into the area, including seals and dolphins."She said it was unlikely that the same shark was responsible for both attacks."Theoretically, it's possible that it was the same shark, but highly unlikely."Knysna municipal manager Grant Easton said beaches in the area remained closed and people were being encouraged not to swim.Kock said of the 72 unprovoked attacks that took place last year globally, only three were fatal. Of the two attacks in South Africa, one was fatal. South Africa has one of the five highest shark attack rates in the world...

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