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Surfer loses arm and hand in shark 'feeding frenzy' in Western Australia Surfer who lost arm and hand in shark attack 'more likely' white pointer victim
(about 4 hours later)
A 23-year-old surfer has lost a hand and part of his other arm in a shark attack off Western Australia’s south coast in which he was reportedly mauled by two bronze whalers. A 23-year-old surfer who lost a hand and part of his other arm in a shark attack off Western Australia’s south coast was “more likely” to have been mauled by a white pointer than two bronze whalers, authorities say.
Bunbury man Sean Pollard underwent emergency surgery at Royal Perth Hospital on Thursday night after he was attacked while surfing that morning near Wylie Bay at Kelpids Beach, about 6km east of Esperance. Bunbury man Sean Pollard has had emergency surgery at Royal Perth hospital and is in a stable condition after he was attacked while surfing on Thursday morning near Wylie bay at Kelpids beach, about 6km east of Esperance.
The state’s Department of Fisheries responded by catching and killing two great white sharks, one measuring up to 4.5 metres and the other three metres. The state’s Fisheries Department responded by catching and killing two white pointers on drumlines – one measuring up to 4.5m and the other 3m.
But according to ABC TV, the person who spoke to Pollard immediately after the attack said he believed he had been mauled by two bronze whalers and described it as a “feeding frenzy”. It is the first time white pointers – a protected species – have been killed by WA officials.
While the full extent of his injuries is not yet known, Esperance shire’s president, Malcolm Heasman, said Pollard lost a hand and an arm from the elbow down. One of his legs has also reportedly been injured. Fisheries shark response unit manager Lisa Clack defended the decision to destroy the sharks, despite reports Pollard might have been mauled by two bronze whalers, saying it was “more likely” that a white pointer was responsible.
As soon as he was helped to shore by someone who witnessed the attack, Pollard received first aid from an off-duty paramedic, who was fortunately at the scene, Heasman said. “Advice from our shark scientists indicated that basically given the nature of the injuries and the location it occurred, it’s not likely that the species was a bronze whaler,” she told Fairfax radio on Friday.
He was taken to Esperance hospital for initial treatment and later flown to Royal Perth hospital, where he is in a stable condition. Clack said the two captured sharks would be transported to Perth on Friday and would be dissected and examined, although sharks often disgorged stomach contents so their role might never be confirmed.
Pollard’s teammates at South Bunbury Football Club posted on Facebook: “Our thoughts are with Polly and his family. We are with you all the way mate.” She said Fisheries would be able to say early next week whether they believed either captured shark was responsible for the attack on Pollard.
Director Jeff Hayres said the club was devastated. “No one wants to see a 23-year-old in his prime be in this situation,” he told ABC radio. Meanwhile, the Fisheries director general, Stuart Smith, has rescinded the order to redeploy drumlines in the water after determining that there was no longer an imminent threat to the community, Clack said.
There may well be an outcry from conservationists if bronze whalers are confirmed as Pollard’s attackers, given that the fisheries response in killing the two sharks represents the first time great whites – a protected species – have been killed by WA officials. Beaches from Wylie bay to Cape Le Grand remain closed until further notice.
The initial response of the premier, Colin Barnett, to the attack was that a shark being in the area during school holidays posed a significant threat to public safety. Pollard’s teammates at South Bunbury football club have posted on Facebook: “Our thoughts are with Polly and his family. We are with you all the way mate.”
He said because it was an unpatrolled beach, his government’s newly scrapped drumline policy would not have been applicable. Friends have also paid tribute, including Alan Wells, who posted: “Polly our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family mate, wishing you a speedy recovery.”
“That said, today’s attack is an unfortunate and tragic reminder of how serious the threat is,” Barnett said. Jon Dixon wrote: “Surfed there a hundred times as a grommet … my home break and never saw a bloody herring! Hang in there Polly. We are all thinking of you and your family buddy.”
Heasman said there had been a few more shark sightings than normal in the area in recent weeks.
In October last year, abalone diver Greg Pickering was attacked by a great white at Cape Arid National Park, about two hours’ drive from Esperance. He suffered severe facial injuries and almost lost an eye. That shark was never found.