Bull shark nearly bites off man’s leg in Maharashtra’s Vaitarna river; locals kill fish

A bull shark, the species which can live and breed in freshwater, nearly bit off one leg of a 30-year-old man in the Vaitarna river in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, prompting his fellow villagers to kill the fish, a forest official said on Wednesday.

The encounter with the fish with razor-sharp teeth took place when a group of residents from Manor village, out to collect wood and for fishing, entered the river. A large fish sprang up a surprise attack and grabbed the left leg of one of them, identified as Vickey Govari. Hearing his screams, the others pulled him to the shore, he said.

In their bid to save their friend, they began hitting the fish, eventually killing it, the official said. However, the fish, later identified by wildlife experts as a bull shark, had ripped off the calf muscle of Govari’s left leg, leaving the shin bone exposed. Govari was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he is receiving medical care for the serious injuries sustained to his leg, he said. The bull shark was about seven feet long and weighed nearly 130 kg, said Pawan Sharma, who is the founder and president of non-profit RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) and also the honorary wildlife warden with the state forest department. The Mangrove Cell, which takes care of the marine and aquatic wildlife wings of the forest department, will look into the matter, Sharma said.

Bull sharks are usually found in the sea but there are reports and evidence of them being found in creeks, rivers and dams several kilometres away from saltwater due to reasons like reduction in prey base due to excessive fishing, being victims of bycatch, degradation and habitat loss, he said.

Bull sharks are considered a vulnerable species as per the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and are among the top protected species of sharks that are facing extinction worldwide, he added.