A Mexican marine biologist was significantly injured after he was attacked by a shark whereas working off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast and transferred to a hospital within the nation’s capital on Monday, authorities mentioned.
Costa Rica’s Hearth Division mentioned it had rescued 48-year-old Mauricio Hoyos from the assault Saturday and carried him on a 36-hour journey from Cocos Island, round 340 miles off the coast. Regardless of the intense accidents to his head, face and arms, Hoyos arrived on the hospital in steady situation.
“He was tagging species for monitoring and when he tagged one of many island’s shark species, the shark turned,” mentioned Luis Fernández, a doctor with the hearth division. “It was about 4 meters lengthy with an unlimited chunk drive — it turned and bit him on the pinnacle.”
Hoyos was main a scientific expedition as a part of the One Ocean Worldwide Coalition, a collaborative initiative that features the organizations Fins Connected, For the Oceans Basis, Reserva Tortuga and the Rob Stewart Sharkwater Basis.
“Incidents like this are extraordinarily uncommon,” Alex Antoniou, government director of Fins Connected, mentioned on social media. “Dr. Hoyos is a unprecedented scientist who has devoted his profession to shark conservation, and we’re deeply grateful for the help of the Cocos Island neighborhood on this very troublesome time.”
Cocos Island is a Costa Rican nationwide park and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Web site in 1997. It’s famend for its nice variety of species, notably sharks.
In 2017, an American girl was killed after being mauled by a feminine tiger shark close to the island. Her dive information was additionally significantly injured within the assault. Authorities on the time mentioned it was the primary assault of its variety close to the nationwide park.
In keeping with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Surroundings and Power, there are about 14 species of sharks — together with whale sharks, hammerhead sharks and tiger sharks — inhabiting the world, making it a well-liked spot for divers.
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