Shark attacks around the world increased in 2021, although they had been markedly lower in the three years before. In 2020, beaches were largely closed because of the pandemic, yet a significant number of attacks were still recorded, ABC News reported on Tuesday, January 25.

Researchers said sharks attacked 73 people worldwide last year, compared with 52 in 2020. The research was carried out by the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Elasmobranch Society.

Tyler Bowling, manager of the International Shark Attack File, said sharks attacked 52 people in 2020, the lowest in a decade, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Attacks by white sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks were also reported during that time.

Sharks attack people deliberately if they are provoked. Eleven people died in shark attacks last year, two of them because they had provoked the shark. Last year three people died in Australia and two in New Caledonia, and one each in the United States, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa; none of these had provoked the shark.

Sharks are among the world's most dangerous animals, and surfers are often their victims. But although sharks are dangerous, they do not attack very often. Keeping a safe distance from them is usually enough.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.