Southern mayor backs bounty for shark hunt after boy’s foot was bitten
People are searching for a shark after it bit a boy’s foot at the Chebilang pier in the southern province of Satun. The Chebilang mayor Mahmadneesum Bilungload even said he’ll give a cash reward of 1,000 baht to whoever catches the shark. He took a long tail boat out on Saturday afternoon to scope out the scene and try and track down the shark.
Last Thursday, 12 year old Harafat Limapicharsakul was playing on the Chebilang pier with two of his friends. The shark bit his foot when he was swinging his legs in the canal. The boy is okay, but he needed 50 stitches (yikes!!). The local government Facebook page posted a warning alerting people not to swim in the canal.
Researchers from the Marine and Coastal Resources Department say the bite is most likely from a bull shark. The canal opens into the Andaman Sea and bull sharks are known to swim from the sea into the brackish water of the klong, a marine scientist told the Bangkok Post. The department’s director general says that bull sharks are not typically aggressive, “but maybe they shark saw the boy’s swing legs as a threat”.
The minister of Natural Resources and Environment is criticising the mayor for supporting the shark hunt, adding that warning signs and announcements should be put in place instead of demonising a breed of shark.
“Don’t offer a bounty for a shark or support the hunt for a reward.”
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
https://www.facebook.com/Jehbilang.municipal.district.satun/posts/2643786042560361
