Australia's east coast is facing a serious crisis that threatens the summer season following recent shark attacks in the area. The latest, which occurred last weekend at Coogee Beach (just south of the famous Bondi Beach), left a 35-year-old woman in hospital with serious injuries to her arms and left leg after she was attacked by a four-metre shark, about 30 metres from the shoreline.
Last month, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked whilst fishing on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Ten days earlier, a 38-year-old man was fatally attacked near an island off Perth, in Western Australia.
Coogee Beach reopened today, Monday, with patrols of marine officers, lifeguards on land and drones monitoring from the air, all to restore confidence among bathers and tourists and save the season, according to Reuters.
"Climate change is transforming the way our oceans work, and sharks are just one aspect of that," said Leonardo Guida, a shark scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society.