(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY MADISON MACK
ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN
 
A Texas man is the latest victim in a string on shark attacks along Australia’s west coast. NBC has more.

“The first, a surfer grabbed by a great white on October 4. The next, October 10, a businessman out for a morning swim. And now this -- prompting some here to fear there could be a Jaws man-eater on the prowl.

That fear caused the government to issue a kill order for the shark -- the first time that power has ever been used in western Australia. BBC reports.

“Reaction to the attack has been exceptional. For the first time in a decade the government here has used the law allowing it to hunt the great white shark believed to be responsible. Normally they are a protected species and can’t be touched. But it’s clear with three deaths in two months, the government feels duty and morally bound to act.”

Initial attempts to catch the shark with bated hooks failed. And according to The Australian, after 24 hours, the odds of finding the shark are slim.

“...even if authorities had managed to capture a shark matching its description they would have no way of knowing if it was the one that killed Mr Wainwright.”

Great whites are considered endangered and many shark conservationists say the kill order is an overreaction. One marine zoologist told the AP it sounds like revenge.

ABC spoke with a shark expert who says the chances of being harmed by a shark are basically non-existent.

Anchor: “… animal experts say you actually have a better chance of winning the lottery or being hit by lightning than getting bitten by a shark.”
Expert: “The fear is unfounded. The chances of being bitten either in Australia or elsewhere in the world are minuscule.”

The AP reports Australia experiences an average of one fatal shark attack a year. A reporter for the Australian says this year’s spike might be the whale’s fault.

“Well as you can see behind me, some of the Whales are migrating down the west coast of Australia coming into a lot of these bays ... As you can see, they bring lots of sharks. People tend to believe this may be one of the reasons this shark attack happened yesterday.”
 
Transcript by Newsy.

Environment News: Australia Shark Attacks

After Three Deaths, Australia Issues Kill Order on Shark

October 24, 2011
(2:19)
Three shark-related deaths in the last two months has prompted the Australian government to issue a kill order for the shark.
   
TRANSCRIPT

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