By Luke Hunter
Correspondent
Beachgoers watched in terror as a swimmer was mauled to death by a great white shark in the Western Australian city of Perth on Sept. 18, reports CBS News.
According to Surfer, the deceased swimmer was identified as 63-year-old Greg O’Neil. On the day of the shark attack, O’Neil had been swimming close to the shore with a friend. While the friend managed to escape the water with his life, O’Neil’s body was left behind and has yet to be recovered.
O’Neil’s family described him as a “generous, devoted family man” and avid swimmer who “loved the ocean.”
On the day of the attack, local onlookers described seeing blood in the water. According to CBS News, Ryan Rowe, an eyewitness who arrived on the Perth beach soon after the shark attack said, “I couldn't believe there was that much blood (that had) come out of a human body.”
Authorities closed the beach immediately following the shark attack, CBS News reported. While attempts to find O’Neil’s body were unsuccessful local authorities utilized boats and helicopters in their search and recovery attempts.
Jackie Jarvis, the Fisheries Minister for Western Australia ordered that the great white shark responsible for O’Neil’s death be captured and destroyed, Surfer reported.
According to Surfer, Western Australia is no stranger to implementing shark control measures. Previously in 2014 the Western Australian government tried a control measure which resulted in the capturing of over 170 sharks. Surfer reports that of those sharks captured none were great white sharks.
The Surfer further reported that Minister Jarvis, in the wake of backlash from various environmentalists said, “This is not the return to the idea that we would cull all apex predators in the ocean.”
According to CBS News, the death of Greg O’Neil marks the fifth fatal shark attack recorded this year in Australia.
Previously, a 12-year-old boy was fatally slain by a shark while swimming in Sydney Harbor in January of this year.
Following that deadly attack, three other individuals were killed as a result of Shark attacks within the months of May and June.
The three individuals were reported by CBS News to have been divers. Two of the divers were killed in Western Australia with the other diver having been killed in Queensland.
Since the year 2000, Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks each year. Pulling from the International Shark Attack File, the total number of shark attacks in Australia since 1791 sits at over 1,200; 250 of which were fatal attacks.
CBS News highlighted that as water activities such as scuba diving and surfing have gained increased popularity throughout Australia, the rate of shark attacks has risen in accordance.
