Boy, seven, has part of leg ripped off after being attacked by a shark while swimming with friends in French Polynesia

Daily Mail​

28-07-2025

A seven-year-old boy had part of his leg ripped off by a shark while swimming off the coast of French Polynesia.
The child was one of around 10 friends playing in the picturesque waters of Taiohae Bay on Nuka Hiva, the main island in the Marquesas archipelago, on Friday when the ocean predator struck.
The shark inflicted multiple bite wounds, ripping off one of his calves and leaving the boy with additional injuries to his right forearm and left hand, The Sun reported.
The boy was taken to the island's small hospital before being airlifted to the French Polynesia hospital center in Tahiti, around 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from Nuku Hiva.
'I'm 35 years old and this is the first time I've seen this. These were long and deep wounds,' a firefighter who helped the child with serious bite wounds said.
'It's probably related to the fish carcasses that fishermen throw in this area.
'There are many sharks, such as blacktips, hammerheads, and lemon sharks,' the firefighter added, confirming reports by local TV channel TNTV.
Shark attacks are rare in French Polynesia and most commonly target underwater fishermen or people engaging in shark feeding, a prohibited activity.
French Polynesia is home to over 30 species of shark and was declared a shark sanctuary in 2006 - but has seen a series of attacks in recent times.
In May last year a South African man managed to fight off an 8ft shark by stabbing it in the gills with a four inch pocket knife used for cutting diving lines.
Angus Kockott, 20, from East London, South Africa, was snorkelling in shallow waters off the island of Mangareva, French Polynesia when he was attacked on May 23, 2024.
Out of nowhere, a suspected grey reef shark approached him from behind a reef - and clamped its jaws on his arm.
Luckily, a quick-thinking Angus was able to pull a 4in blade - from his pocket to stab the shark in the gills before swimming to safety.
An emergency military aircraft was called to fly him to the nearest hospital, where he underwent life-saving six-hour surgery.
Incredibly Mr Kockott said that he planned to get the teeth left embedded in his arm from the attack turned into jewellery.
While sharks are often painted as mindless predators out for blood, new studies suggest that they may actually mainly bite in self-defence.
Researchers led by Dr. Eric Emile Germain Clua of the Paris Science et Lettres (PSL) Research University reviewed over six decades of data on shark attacks.
They found that bites classified as in self-defence all came after a human acted aggressively towards a shark, by for example trying to shoot it with a harpoon or speargun, or handling it roughly.
In most instances the injuries inflicted on the human were only minor to moderate, challenging the idea that sharks were monsters out to cause maximum damage.