Two 17ft Great Whites team up to kill teen surfer.

This sounds like a scene taken right out of JAWS!

"ADELAIDE, Australia (Dec. 16) - Two great white sharks attacked and killed a surfer while his friends watched in horror Thursday off a popular beach in the southern Australian city of Adelaide, authorities said."


aolsvc.news.aol.com...

"It tore him apart ... apparently it tore him in half and the other shark came in and took the rest."

"Experts said at the time that sharks were not known to hunt in pairs."


Officials were on the look out for the killer sharks but it was unclear as to what they would do with them when they found them. Great Whites are a protected species. Sharks were not known to hunt in pairs before, but this could be likened to the case of the two male lions teaming for the kill. Remember the true story made for movie called "The Ghost in the Darkness". These two lions killed many humans as if it was for sport. There's an exibit in the Smithonian on them.

Are these just hungry sharks? Have all the seals been eaten? Is it time to start hunting the Great Whites so we can swim in our oceans?

It was actaully one great white that killed that teen surfer and it is being put to death by wild life authorities some time next week.

A few days ago up near Brisbane TWO white pointers attacked a spear fisherman and he bled to death not long after he was attacked.

I don't have any links but local TV news programs covered both stories.

These links seem to corroborate the story:

Google Search

www.abc.net.au...

Its on my local news right now they say it came from out of no where and it was the biggest thing they have ever seen, it attacked the small boat they were riding in. They insist that another shark came along but marine experts say it is extremely unlikely.

They say two, searches have only found one great white so far whithin the imediate vacinity.

absolutely terrible tragedy - my sympathy goes out to the boy, his family and friends.

... not sure about hunting down the shark and killing it though - apart from the shark doing what it does ie. kill, in its own territory ... how can they be sure its the right one? Killing that shark isn't going to stop more shark attacks ... hmmm ... better shark patrol ? Don't surf in shark infested waters?

This is not an unusual story as I know a great deal about some of the larger sharks such as great whites, hammerheads, Tigers and the like. It is actually a well documented scientific fact that Great whites can often be found hunting in not only pairs but larger packs to confuse and to create a higher probablilty of getting a kill when dealing with there main staple food, seals. There have tho been alot more shark attacks in the media in the past 6-8months especially in areas not usually know for having a high level of shark activity......maybe there is something up with the oceans and the sharks are starting to change their diets to suit there needs? who really knows for sure....I know I dont hehehe

I don't really see the point of killing the shark, unless it's just impossible to negotiate with them and it's the only way to keep them out of the area. Most of the experts seem to believe that sharks only kill humans by mistake because they don't really like human meat. Maybe it's only the near-sighted sharks who kill humans and maybe by killing all the ones they can find, they'll make near-sightedness in sharks more rare.

thats sad they are going to kill the shark

"There have tho been alot more shark attacks in the media in the past 6-8months especially in areas not usually know for having a high level of shark activity......maybe there is something up with the oceans and the sharks are starting to change their diets to suit there needs? "

... maybe there is something in that - those sharks were pretty hungry by the sounds of it ... not enough seals, not enough fish in the sea - whose fault is that?

It's no ones fault, we have the right to hunt and eat just as the shark does.

Its no secret that overfishing is well and truly stuffing up marine ecology.

www.greenpeace.org.au...
www.marine.csiro.au...

Thankfully this issue is being addressed - research, policies & projects to improve sustainability are in place, something is being done about it but maybe not enough.

Beside the very basic human emotional Revenge thought, the idea of killing a shark after it has tasted human flesh for the first time (maybe just because it was inside his territory) is that the shark might develope a good taste for it and actively look for more human prey near the beaches...

I don't know about great whites, but I have seen on National Geographic how Orcas work in packs to corner ther prey in a shallow bay. Now Orcas seem a bit more intelligent and empathic than white sharkes (you can train them like dolphins and play with them in the water, couldn't imagine that doing that with a great white, never!) but orca's are pretty ruthless killers in the wild...


[edit on 17-12-2004 by Countermeasures]

Shark attack victim's family against kill order.

The father of a teenager taken by a shark while swimming at an Adelaide beach yesterday says the family does not advocate the killing of any sharks.

Nick Peterson, 18, was killed by a shark at West Point beach while riding a surf board behind a boat.

The South Australian Government has authorised police and wildlife officers to destroy the shark.

His father, Philip Peterson, says the Government should instead electronically tag sharks known to inhabit metropolitan beaches

Article

If anything positive can come from this tragedy, i think we must respect the views of Nick Peterson' father.

Sanc'.

Yeah it happened at Popular swimming beach, being very hot today normally anything up to 2000 people there only 50 to-day, 5 crazy people in water, Shark still there spotted by Helicopter boats followed it. It mouthed outboard motor and started following boats around its got a taste of blood , its got to go. Actually a couple of sharks have been in the area about 3 weeks but thats there home. Fisheries dept etc have approved to-day capture or kill.

"the idea of killing a shark after it has tasted human flesh for the first time (maybe just because it was inside his territory) is that the shark might develope a good taste for it and actively look for more human prey near the beaches... "

well then yeah it has to go. The poor boy! .... and his family - what an amazing thing to say after such a tragic tragic loss.

[edit on 17-12-2004 by c_au]

Originally posted by c_au
"There have tho been alot more shark attacks in the media in the past 6-8months especially in areas not usually know for having a high level of shark activity......maybe there is something up with the oceans and the sharks are starting to change their diets to suit there needs? "

... maybe there is something in that - those sharks were pretty hungry by the sounds of it ... not enough seals, not enough fish in the sea - whose fault is that?

Global warming??? Over fishing/farming the ocean fish and things that are food for seals?? oil spills? pollution?? volcanic eruptions?

They where hungry, ant blame the sharks. They are in thier home, humans invaded thier homes looking like a seal, what do you expect?

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
They where hungry, ant blame the sharks. They are in thier home, humans invaded thier homes looking like a seal, what do you expect?

Exactly. theres no stopping people swimming in the sea but all beaches should have shark nets, regularly maintained and upgraded and fitted with sonic deterents for dolphins. You dont hanging around a bear cub then kill the mother when she attacks you to protect her young.
we must lose the human-gods mentality, we share this world with rest, which have just as much right to exist in their element and do what they do. revenge killing of a shark backs the reasoning the shark acted with malice and forthought, which is just silly. You go in the water with a one ton 16ft killing machine with a primative brain the size of a walnut, looking like its food source, then expect the worst scenario. Kudos to the boys father for reason and common sense!

If some of the beach goers require a peace of mind by the capture and destroying of the shark in question, there should be an autopsy to confirm the human remains. It would be sad to have a repeat in the surrounding waters. Remeber the first episode of JAWS where some fishermen capture the potential killer, but after the illegal autopsy by the sheriff proves the killer has not been caught. Officials open the beaches and later there are more killings. I'll have to say I'm selfish when it comes to my life in the open ocean. I was frightened to death when I body surfed once in Hawaii for fear of being eaten by a Great White. Never do that again after this story. I'll have to admit watching the JAWS movies in my childhood ruined me with swimming in the open ocean. Those of you that say don't kill this man eater (the one that killed the teen), and you so happen to find youself on a sinking boat with no life raft, only life jackets, you'll re-think that thought when it comes to devour you. Definitely we should not hunt these creatures because they can eat us. Animals should be protected from abuse but humans should also be protected.

Some Great Whites do hunt in packs as shown on the Discovery channel documentary that studied the bizarre behaviors of white sharks around the Chatham Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Sharks are not fully understood and are still unpredictable at times, as are people. I have had many discussions with Manny Puig regarding sharks. He recently showed me his underwater picture diving outside of the cage with an enormous Tiger Shark. Its fascinating to talk with him about some of the things hes done. Studying sharks is a hobby for him.