A young boy is still fighting for his life in hospital as he is mauled by a reportedly large shark in Sydney Harbour, an incident that has flared warnings of water safety across Sydney’s water bodies.
Emergency services had been called out at the harbour on Sunday afternoon in response to a reported incident in which a swimmer had been bitten while in the water.
According to a statement by the NSW Police the boy was seriously injured in the attack and rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The attack has been confirmed to have taken place within the Sydney Harbour and not along the coastline which is a concern to the residents considering the level of usage of the harbour.
Although it is known that the harbour has shark inhabitants the possibility of a shark attack is minimal.
The witnesses have told the emergency services that they have seen a big shark in the water before the boy was rescued.
The police have not yet confirmed the type of shark and have warned that all investigations are still continuing. Fisheries officials have been dispatched to assess shark danger.
NSW Ambulance reported that several units including intensive care paramedics were called to the scene.
The boy was stabilized and then taken to a major trauma center with a police escorted convoy. Sources from the hospital have confirmed that the boy remains in a critical condition late Sunday night.
This attack has reignited debate concerning shark and beach management and safety in metropolitan areas.
Although beaches along the NSW coastline are used to being protected by shark nets, drum lines and aerial surveillance Sydney Harbour does not need such protection because of its difficult environment and low risk of an attack.
Experts have long warned that bull sharks and large species are capable of freely roaming the harbour systems and that this eventuality occurs more frequently during warmer months as water temperature increases and prey becomes plentiful.
Additionally, rainy conditions could raise shark presence near the shore as a result of changes in water salinity.
However, authorities made clear that this incident was not an indication of a heightened threat but also noted the relevance of the fact that an attack in the harbour would be a confronting experience for the community.
The NSW Police confirmed there was no evidence of a breach in the existing security arrangements but a review would be conducted when more information was obtained.
The attack comes after a few shark incidents have been reported along the NSW coastline in recent times.
Based on the long held facts shark attacks in Australia are rare in comparison to the volume of people accessing the sea annually.
Police indicated they would continue to monitor and provide more information regarding investigations once they were underway.
At present, they said they were concerned with the recovery of the child and ensuring a safe harbor was maintained.
