A Mexican woman lost her life in a shark attack while swimming with her young daughter near the beach town of Melaque in the Pacific Ocean, as reported by authorities on Sunday.
Rafael Araiza, the head of the local civil defense office, stated that the incident occurred on Saturday, not far from the Melaque beach, located just west of the seaport of Manzanillo. Melaque is situated in the western state of Jalisco, adjacent to the well-known Barra de Navidad beach town.
The victim, a 26-year-old woman, was swimming with her five-year-old daughter towards a floating play platform about 75 feet from the shore. As she attempted to assist her child onto the platform, she was bitten by a shark. Fortunately, the daughter remained unharmed.
Despite a prompt response by rescuers, the woman succumbed to blood loss resulting from the severe bite on her leg near the hip. She was a resident of a nearby town.
In response to the incident, authorities took precautionary measures by closing the beaches in Melaque and Barra de Navidad to swimming.
Shark attacks are uncommon in Mexico, with a notable incident in 2019 when a U.S. diver survived a shark bite on the forearm in Magdalena Bay off the Baja California Sur coast.
Wildlife experts emphasize that most shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity. Jeff Corwin, an American biologist and wildlife conservationist, mentioned, “When you’re in the water, if you’re in a healthy marine ecosystem, you’re often never more than 100 yards from a shark.” He added that interactions with sharks often go unnoticed.
Contrary to common belief, sharks are generally not a threat to humans, according to the NOAA. Only a small fraction of the over 300 shark species have been involved in human-related attacks. Lauren Gaches, director of public affairs for NOAA Fisheries, emphasized that encounters or bites by sharks are extremely unlikely for swimmers and surfers.
Overall, unprovoked shark bites have seen a decrease over the past decade. In 2022, there were 57 unprovoked bites worldwide, significantly lower than the 10-year average of 74 unprovoked bites annually, according to data from the University of Florida.
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