The bloody encounter took place on Thursday in Keaton Beach in northwest Florida. 2 A girl lost part of her leg after being bitten by a nine-foot shark in Florida 2 Officials described the beast as about nine feet Credit: Getty Deputies with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said a teenage girl was wading in water about five feet deep near Gracie Island, just off Keaton Beach, when a shark bit her. One of the girl’s family members jumped into the water and beat the shark away from the teenager until she was freed, police said. The juvenile was airlifted to a Tallahassee hospital with serious injuries. Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett told WCTV the girl underwent surgery and lost part of her leg, but is expected to survive. Officials said the shark was about nine feet long. “Swimmers and paddlers are cautioned to be alert, vigilant and practice shark safety,” the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office warned. “Some rules to follow are: never swim alone, don’t enter the water near fishermen, avoid areas like sand dunes (where sharks like to congregate), don’t swim near large schools of fish, and avoid erratic movements while in the water. “
SWIMMING POOLS ARE REQUIRED
The latest attack comes as Parks and Recreation officials put swimmers on high alert due to an increase in shark sightings reported earlier than usual this summer. Several factors, including rising ocean temperatures, are contributing to increased shark activity in cities along the Atlantic and West Coast coastlines. The resurgence of the tank fish population is also drawing them into the area’s waters. On Wednesday, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy scientist Megan Winton issued a great white shark alert ahead of the July 4th weekend after experts warned of a mass migration of the predators. Winton warned that warm Cape Cod waters in July attract great white sharks to shore. Sightings of the predators peak from August to October, the scientist explains, according to the Associated Press. “Just know that the big sharks are here,” Winton said. “It’s a constant presence from June through the fall.” State marine biologist Greg Skomal, who has studied great whites for decades, said the sharks usually congregate on the side of Cape Cod that faces the Atlantic Ocean. Sharks are drawn to this area to feast on the thriving seal population, Skomal said. It warns anyone visiting the coast to be very careful when swimming off beaches where the shoreline drops off quickly into deeper water. “Sharks will come close to shore when they have deep water,” Skomal added.
