A rash of shark sightings has led to beach closures, a teenage surfer was attacked, and a dead great white shark washed up on a Long Island beach. In other animal news, cops shot a 15-foot snake to save a man being strangled.
Beachgoers terrified amid a rash of shark sightings, beach closures, and attack
Multiple shark sightings in New York have beachgoers in fear. On Tuesday, New York City officials closed all of Rockaway’s beaches to swimming following “multiple shark sightings” in near-shore waters, the Gothamist reported.
Governor Kathy Hochul says New York State beaches have increased staffing and shark patrol capacity, as well as are deploying boats, drones, and helicopters to monitor shark activity, ABC reported.
Teenage surfer was attacked by shark
Already this season, at least five people have been attacked by sharks and bitten in the waters off Long Island.
On Wednesday, a 16-year-old surfer who was about twenty yards out in the water suffered a minor bite on his foot after being attacked by a shark at Kismet Beach on Fire Island, ABC reported.
Dead great white shark washes up on a Long Island beach
A dead great white shark reported being eight feet long washed up on Ocean Beaches in Long Island beach on Wednesday morning. A resident managed to photograph the dead predator, bearing its sharp teeth and what appears to be blood surrounding its mouth, the New York Post reported.
The eerie photo was later shared by police, who were unable to recover the shark before it was washed back into the ocean. Oceanographers would have liked to recover the shark, with one expert saying, “a dead shark and provide more valuable data than a live shark.” A local shark research organization and the State Department of environmental conservation are still working to recover the shark.
Cops shoot 15-foot snake strangling man
Cops in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania responded to an emergency they don’t see every day. They were called to save a man who was being strangled by a 15-foot snake.
When officers arrived at the Fogelsville home, the 28-year-old male victim was lying on the floor unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, CBS reported. The middle portion of what was alleged to be a 15-foot snake was wrapped around the man’s neck.
One of the officers was able to shoot the snake in the head without causing any further injury to the man, according to police. Once the snake was wounded and died by gunfire, officers were able to pull the man to safety. Emergency medical personnel rushed the victim to an area hospital, and his condition is unknown.
