British tourist in intensive care following shark attack in Caribbean
The man was bitten by the shark on the north coast of Tobago
Last updated 27th Apr 2024
A British tourist has been left in intensive care following a shark attack on the Caribbean island of Tobago.
The man, who is 64 years old and from Hertfordshire, was attacked by the animal in the shallow waters, ten metres from the shore close to the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay on the west of the Island.
Following the attack, which took place on Friday morning (April 26th), the victim was left with serious injuries to his left hand, left thigh, and stomach.
It has been established that the shark that left the man injured was a bull shark, estimated to be between eight and ten feet long, and two feet wide.
Chief Secretary of the local government in Tobago Farley Augustine said that the man was due to fly back to the UK on the day that he was attacked, after having holidayed on the Caribbean island with his wife and friends.
He added that the man's condition was stable and that he was "doing well", but was being kept under sedation at Scarborough General Hospital on the island.
"Some reattachments were done, of fingers for example, and hopefully that will save those fingers," he said. "We know that there's significant wounds on one of his legs that cannot be completely closed, but he will require extensive work.
"The task at this time for our health professionals is really to stabilise and ensure that we can save life and limb as much as possible."
In response to the ongoing incident, several beaches across the island were shut by local authorities, as well as a local marine park.
As well as this, a bounty worth $10,000 being offered to anyone who could capture the shark itself was retracted.
Speaking to us, shark expert Dan Abbott from Bristol said that bull sharks often share similar spaces to humans.
"Bull sharks are very opportunistic," he explained. "They tend to hunt in shallow waters, very murky waters.
"Often these are at the mouth of a river, which is often where people end up bathing as well."
However, Dan was insistent that shark attacks are incredibly rare for humans: "Of course we hear about when sharks and humans do negatively interact. But there's far, far more cases where they really don't pay any attention to us at all."