Rescue Dog Gets Eaten by Shark While Playing on Australian Beach

An American Staffordshire Terrier playing with his owner at Bonna Point, near the headland of Botany Bay, was snatched by a shark. The incident prompted the authorities to issue a warning to stay away from the waters of Kurnell Peninsular, a popular off-leash beach in Sydney.

"New South Wales Department of Primary Industries advises people to avoid swimming or surfing when it is dark or during twilight hours," the council said in a statement.

According to Yahoo News UK, Molly, a rescue dog, was fetching a stick from the water when a bull shark, believed to be 3.5 meters long, grabbed her.

Nigel, owner of Molly, told Sydney Morning Herald that Molly was about five meters off-shore when the shark grabbed the animal.

"We were pretty traumatised, it was horrific," Nigel told the news site. "We were just throwing the stick in the water. The tide was really far out and there was a bit of a drop off [where the water became deeper]," he continued. "It was very quick. It just took her under the water."

The saddening incident follows many recent shark sightings and attacks in New South Wales.

Last December, drum lines, an aquatic trap used to lure and capture large sharks using baited hooks, have been placed along a beach on the New South Wales mid-north coast after a 65-year-old got bitten by a shark.

And just recently, a kiteboarder was filmed riding towards a great white at Brighton Beach and a large shark was photographed swimming in the shallow waters while people are running across.

News.com.au reported that at present, 15 smart drum lines had already been dropped and another 85 will be rolled out.  Discovery notes that sharks eat almost anything, and a potential prey like a dog, waddling and paddling on the water may catch the attention of a hungry shark.