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True / False

You will never find a shark in a river in KNP.

Sorry Bwana, completely forgot about it.

In 1950 a bullshark was caught at the confluence of the Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers.

This bit of info comes from "Kruger National Park Questions and Answers" written by PF Fourie.

Now thats weird! How far inland is that? I know some sharks adapt to a fresh water/sea water mix but complete fresh water.. interesting one GP.

regards

bwana

I can believe GP. Bull sharks r known for swimming up rivers. So is zambezi sharks. They can go up to 200km into rivers if I remember correctly.

I did not know that bull sharks occur aorund the eastern coast of SA.

Ineteresting GP, thanks. I'll remember it next time when doing a hike in the Park.

WTM wrote:

That's what made this sighting so rare, and apparently none have been noticed by humans after that.

WTM wrote:

What do you mean? You're not supposed to go into the water, are you?! Crocs and stuff!

Great find GP - that is very interesting, and also something of a relief to hear it wasn't in any of the Mpum Lowveld rivers I frequent

I have read the following:



Scary stuff!

Interesting stuff wtm.

Now we need to look out for Bull Sharks as well as Crocodiles, when we cross rivers.

This makes me wonder...With the "great" Wildebeest migration each year, if between the chaos of the river crossing, a few Blue Wildebeest gets taken out by Bull Sharks?

I once read somewhere that you should NEVER swim in any river in Africa. Guess there's more to it than crocs and hippos!

I've been considering whether I should post this or not, but I think I should. I just saw a rather disturbing news insert on SA television and want to know if I'm the only one who feels disgusted by the idea.

After the 4th fatal shark attack along the Cape Coast in 3 years, word has now gone out that people want to "teach the sharks to stay away from the coast" by having trophy fishermen from America coming over and hunting Great Whites along the SA shoreline. The trophy? The jaw of a Great White.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment Affairs reacted that it would be illegal for bounty hunting to take place as these animals are a protected species in SA waters.

Aren't the seas the same as anywhere else in the wild? You are the tresspasser not the animal.

It just doesn't sound right to me. Feel free to differ from me, but I say it's disgusting.

Agree with you 100% GP. I read an article in IOL today about the same thing and it left me with a nasty taste in my mouth. This is a knee-jerk reaction to a tragic event. I understand that there have been a number of such events this year but that doesn't justify such a reaction.

The sea is their home, not ours and we should never forget that.

It will never realise. GWS are protected and if you were caught with one in possession then jail could be your new bordeaux.

If you enter falsebay and all those dangeorus cold waters containg GW then u r looking for trouble. Sharks don't tend to eat humans, but sometimes it happens, a phenomenan that even scientists battle to explain.

Like u said previously, if you enter their domain then it is your problem. What is also happening is that sharks are being lured(can't remember the right name of it) to boats carrying tourists to view them. This seems to cause all the havoc.

It won't realise, so I am not concerned about it.

wildtuinman is right. It will never happen. But watch the news - those %$#*'s that chum the water to lure the GWS to their dive cages and who punch them on the nose or prod them with sticks when they come to the cage to investigate are about to get their just desserts. There is no way anyone can legally hunt an endangered species in RSA. No way at all. If (a BIG "if") they can positively identify the GW as being the one that ate a human, there is a case for euthanasia and examination of that one specimen. Same with leopards that eat people.

No, this idea is all about a fast buck, thrills and revenge, same as cage diving and chumming. Why are SA operators the only cage divers who chum? The answer is simple - to please the dollar- and euro-paying tourist. Their answer is "There is no evidence to suggest that chumming is dangerous to bathers or surfers". Darn right - there is little or no evidence about GW's at all, but that doesn't mean that we should climb on the bandwagon of shark attacks and make huge bucks out of them for personal gain and to the eventual demise of the species. Remember, every shark attack makes the chummers richer!

Just a point to ponder on ... I saw a doc on Sharks a while ago ... Shark meat are being processed and exported ... There is a group .. (and shame on me for forgetting their name) who are figting companies who make a business of providing the customer the opportunity to catch sharks ...

The 2 groups even went to court and the Shark Catching company won the case ...

The future is not looking good for GW's.

Thanks my old friend WestCoaster. Chumming was indeed the word I was looking for.

I can't wait for the chummers to get their day. I will be sitting and waiting and watching for this news.

W@H, I also think that GW's are in danger but future is looking good for them with people like that forgotten name company and us trying to protect and preserve such magnificant animals as the GW.