Great white shark
A dismembered hand was found inside a shark.
According to the report of BBC, the hand belongs to a Scottish tourist who went to Saint-Gilles, Reunion with his wife for a week-long vacation. It was identified through the wedding ring that was also found inside the tiger shark.
The man went missing on Saturday while snorkeling off the coast of the Indian Ocean Island, said Eric Quelquejeu, a local resident that BBC interviewed.
A search mission was immediately conducted the moment the wife reported his mission husband. It ran for a few days, assisted with helicopters, boats, and swimmers, but the man was never found.
The spokesperson of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has sent their support to the family of the victim. They are also in contact with the local authorities.
The Bizarre Discovery
Then, on Monday and Tuesday, several sharks were caught for studying purposes in the Indian Ocean by Centre de Securite Requin (CSR). Then, the following day, those sharks were examined. This was when the hand was found.
It was still unknown if the man got attacked by the shark, or he drowned and got eaten by a shark, thinking he was food.
The shark was caught 7 km away from the lagoon where the victim was last seen.
Shark Warning
There are reported cases of previous shark attacks on many beaches on the west coast of the island.
We do not even deny or hide it, said Quelquejeu. To prove that, there are multiple signposts in those areas to warn people not to swim there. Warnings can also be seen at the airports.
Quelquejeu also said that there were few boats that patrol around the area to protect the visitors since they "make that mistakes anyway."
In the summer of 2013, multiple shark attacks had occurred which prompted the local authority to impose a partial ban on surfing and swimming. Except on shallow waters on the island's lagoons, tourists cannot do those activities. Yet because of the great waves, many surfers defy it.
The waters surrounding Reunion were infested with bull and tiger sharks. According to the locals, it happened because of the hunting ban implemented in 1999.
Before the Scottish man, there were two reported fatal shark attacks: a fisherman in January, and a surfer in May.
Frequent Shark Attack?
Much like the island of Reunion, Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia also suffered from multiple shark attacks this year.
In September, a 46-year-old tourist from Tasmania was attacked while swimming near a yacht.
Two days later, two tourists unrelated to each other were attacked within 24 hours. The first woman got bitten on her legs and torso and was left in critical condition. The second victim, a 12-year-old girl who was also in critical condition, got one of her legs amputated.
If the horror was not enough, the following month, two British men were also attacked in the same area. And November of the previous year, an Australian man died from an attack.
It was still unknown what caused frequent shark attacks. Experts have suspected that the vicious marine predators were drawn by the fishing activity or dirty water, but the evidence is insufficient.
In response, authorities installed drum lines but were later removed due to its impact on marine life.
READ: How to Survive a Shark Attack?