* 75 unprovoked shark attacks occurred worldwide in 2011
* Humans are not sharks’ favorite meal
* Twelve fatalities, all outside the United States
* Surfers account for 60 percent of attacks
* Humans kill many more sharks than sharks kill humans
MIAMI, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Sharks killed a dozen people
worldwide last year, a two-decade high as tourists ventured into
waters in remote areas far from medical care, Florida
researchers said in a report released on Tuesday.
None of the deadly attacks occurred in the United States,
which saw a five-year downturn in the number of reported
unprovoked shark attacks, said ichthyologist George Burgess,
director of the International Shark Attack File housed at the
Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.
“We had a number of fatalities in essentially out-of the way
places, where there’s not the same quantity and quality of
medical attention readily available,” Burgess said. “They also
don’t have histories of shark attacks in these regions, so there
are not contingency plans in effect like there are in places
such as Florida.”
Seventy-five attacks occurred worldwide, close to the decade
average, but the number of fatalities doubled compared with
2010, he said.
Continued…
