By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 13 May 2016 • 10:44
HOLIDAYMAKERS in Palma de Mallorca were paralysed with fear on Thursday, May 12 as a huge shark marauded through the city’s port.
Some onlookers managed to grab terrifying footage on their mobile phones as the predatory beast patrolled the shoreline, before local police were alerted to the scene.
They apparently managed to sling a noose around the monster’s head, but were unable to drag it into the open sea, forcing them to deploy boats to drive the varmint away from the tourist resort.
The Mallorcan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said that they have identified the animal as a blue shark, a species generally preferring deeper water but which does approach shores in temperate seas.
The main diet of the species is smaller fishes and squid, although they do occasionally bite humans.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
What sort of reporting is this? are you serious paper or just another rag. Unfortunately this shark is now dead probably as a result of your sensationalism and attempt to stir up fear among the community. Using words like “paralyzed with fear”, “huge shark” (Don`t think so!!) “Monster”, “varmint” do you really think this language is appropriate?I suggest you get someone with a modicum of intelligence to write your articles or at least someone who has the ability to do some research before putting pen to paper
Many thanks for your comment David, and please be assured that the aim here was not to exaggerate; the shark was at least two metres long, while reports from Mallorca suggest that people were indeed scared enough to avoid entering the water, and the animal caused further panic by approaching a public beach on Saturday.As a holder of two biology degrees I do feel qualified to write about wildlife and, in contrast to certain other reports, was careful to mention that blue sharks do not normally present a threat to humans.It is a genuine shame that the animal was killed, but local biologists from Palma Aquarium made the decision after they concluded it was sick and could not find its way back into deep water, so it seems doubtful that this article was a contributing factor.
Comments are closed.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.