Yesterday’s suspected deadly shark attack off Orient Bay was tragic beyond words. Nothing can adequately describe what family and friends learning the news must have felt and are now going through, as well as those who witnessed it and/or were part of the rescue effort.
The entire community is shocked by this possible first-ever-known such occurrence with a fatal outcome in local waters. French-side authorities banning swimming and other aquatic sports for 48 hours seems reasonable, also out of respect for the victim and her loved ones.
This in turn raised questions about the Dutch side, because sharks obviously do not stop at the border. However, it is important to remember there have always been sharks around the island and that will probably continue to be the case long after most of its current inhabitants are gone. One can even take diving tours to go see them.
They are an integral part of the area’s ecosystem and a tagged tiger shark found washed up on Plum Bay only Sunday served as reminder of that. To, for example, now suggest hunting down Thursday’s “killer shark” is nothing short of ridiculous and the type of thinking best left for Hollywood movies.
Sharks are common in much of the world and do not generally consider humans favoured prey, which clearly fails to exclude incidents like this one. But they can happen practically anywhere.
Nevertheless, concern about the impact on the island’s tourism economy barely starting to recover from the COVID-19 crisis is understandable. Let’s face it, that is not the kind of image a beach destination would want to portray especially at this time.
To put things in their proper perspective, enjoying untamed nature tends to come with perils and swimming in the sea is no different. While it remains a usually quite healthy activity and staying close to shore can certainly help reduce the risk, ultimately wildlife is just what it says.
