Within hours, two women were killed by a shark in Egypt. Since the drama, the governor has closed all beaches in the tourist region of Hurghada. Now locals are speculating what could have caused the attacks, which are extremely rare in the Red Sea.
The cargo ship Badr1 sank on June 12 in the port of Sawakin (Sudan) about 1000 kilometers south of Hurghada. According to the German newspaper “Bild”, 15,800 sheep were said to have been on board the overloaded ship. Only 700 could be fished out of the water alive.
Relationship between sheep carcasses and sharks
Although the flow in the Red Sea is mostly north-south, Hassan El Tayeb, 61, president of the Environmental Union, can still imagine a connection with the sheep carcasses being washed away and the sharks in tourist waters. “Every year, countless ships pass through the Suez Canal carrying sheep for the Hajj season (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca),” said El Tayeb.
The pilgrimage starts on Thursday, 2.5 million visitors are expected. But before the ships reach their destination, they are examined on board: “Often sick and dead sheep are thrown into the sea so that there are no problems with the vets on arrival,” explains the 61-year-old. While waiting for this food, more and more sharks would follow the freighters.
“We have preventively canceled all water activities for this week,” says German emigrant Andreas Diefenbach (58), who organizes snorkelling trips in Hurghada. “We don’t take the risk of a guy being bitten by a shark for a little bit of revenue.”
Human blood repugnant to sharks
It is highly unlikely that sharks hunt humans out of hunger. As recently emphasized by the environmental protection organization WWF, humans have no place in the shark’s prey plan. Studies have shown that human blood even tastes repellent to the animals.
According to marine biologist Robert Lehmann of the Ozeaneum Stralsund in Germany, the victims of the shark attacks die as a result of a trial bite: “Sharks have no hands, they have to bite into something to see if it is edible.” special.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
