More than one shark responsible for Red Sea resort attacks

Ottawa Citizen: More than one shark responsible for Red Sea resort attacks

Scientists scouring the waters off Egypt's premier Red Sea resort have admitted that they are facing a "worst case scenario" after concluding that a spate of attacks on swimmers was the work of at least two sharks.

Conservationists and marine biologists had hoped that a lone shark was responsible for the death of a German woman and the mauling of four other tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh over the past week.

But Egyptian officials in the Sinai peninsula disclosed Tuesday that a shortfin mako shark captured last week had been forensically identified as the culprit behind last Wednesday's attack on two swimmers from Russia and Ukraine.

"The bite on one of the victims has been matched with the teeth of the mako," said Ahmed el-Edkawy, the deputy secretary general of South Sinai governorate.

"We are confident that this shark was responsible for the second incident."

That one of the culprits responsible for the terror ?visited on Sharm el-Sheikh's beaches may have seemed like good news.

But with witnesses saying that the latest attack was carried out by a whitetip, scientists are being forced to confront the likelihood that sharks from two different species have developed man-killing tendencies. More worryingly, they have no idea how many sharks may now have a taste for human flesh - making both the hunt for the killers and a search for the explanation of their bizarre behaviour much more complicated.

"Our best case scenario was of a single shark that would move out of the area, solving the problem", said Elke Bojanowski, a German expert on Red Sea sharks.

"But if there was more than one, then we have to look for a trigger that is influencing the sharks' behaviour and it may be impossible to find. If we don't have a clue what the trigger is then what are we to do?"

Three experts from the United States flew into Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday to join the investigation. George Burgess, the Florida-based director of the International Shark Attack File, said the team was examining whether changes in underwater ecology or the illegal practice of baiting the sharks with meat could be responsible for the attacks. Scientists on the team said they had heard reports of tour guides throwing chickens from boats to attract the sharks.

The attacks have been confined to a three-mile stretch of shore, and at similar times of day, indicating that the sharks may be gathering at an area where they are used to being fed.

Egyptian authorities, already facing criticism for reopening beaches prematurely at the weekend, yesterday allowed swimming to go ahead outside the danger zone.

Gen el-Edkawy insisted yesterday that no tourists had cancelled their trips to Sharm el-Sheikh.

In an apparent attempt to prove the waters safe, he donned a wetsuit and jumped into the water just yards from the spot where the German woman was killed.

Emerging 20 minutes later, he pulled his mask to one side and proclaimed: "I saw a lot of beautiful marine life. It was wonderful. Everything is wonderful. This city is a gift from God and I'm sure everything is safe."