Visitors to Thailand have been told not to worry about sharks.
You’ve got more chance to be run down by a charging buffalo!
Or die from being stung by a hornet!
In fact it’s 200 million to one that you would suffer the fate of the Norwegian man who had his leg bitten by a shark on Monday.
You’re much more likely to win the lottery.
And besides – Thais have eaten all the big ones!
All these messages of encouragement to visit Thailand came from a man in the know – Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat of the faculty of fisheries at Bangkok’s Kasetsart University.
Dr Thon’s message was loud and clear – don’t worry about sharks…there are far worse things to concern you.
And he didn’t even mention the roads….
He was talking on Tuesday in an online video that came with the headline: “A sea that doesn’t have sharks is like a jungle without tigers.”
“The chance of being bitten by a shark is one in a hundred million to one in two hundred million,” said Dr Thon.
“They can misunderstand thinking your foot is a fish and have a nibble. Then they realize – that’s not a fish and off they swim.”
Dr Thon gave his message of hope dressed in an outfit adorned with sharks.
He continued: “Each year there are 5-6 deaths from sharks all over the world. Compare that to being hit by a buffalo or a cow (there are many). Some 500 die from hippo attacks and 2,000 from bees and hornets”.
Besides, he said there are only small sharks here – Thais have eaten all the big ones!
“Thais, like all people, have watched too many movies about sharks. They think that if there is a little blood the sharks will be on the scene, circling. No! That’s the movies.
“Billions go in the sea to swin and there are hardly any bites – there is much less chance than winning the lottery”.
The Department of Coastal resources agreed.
They said that apart from taking some sensible precautions in Hua Hin to guard against shark bites they were not planning to go after the creatures because one man had his leg bitten.
Times comment:- Of course all that information is correct but it can be over-simplified. Many shark species have increased their range and can now be found in waters that previously they were not present in. For example it has now been confirmed that great whites have been spotted in UK waters.
Bull sharks can be a problem as they often move into rivers as they are able to live in both salt and fresh water. It is highly unlikely another attack will occur and it is good that a “witch hunt” has not been declared which would have resulted in the unnecessary deaths of a number of sharks.
However, there’s nothing wrong with just taking a little care when swimming and follow the advice given in yesterday’s article.
(Source:-ThaiVisaNews)