Wanted: One shark for being a shark.
The Environment Minister yesterday criticized a local official’s decision to post a bounty for the shark that earlier bit a boy.
Varawut Silpa-archa asked Sunday that the official located in southern Satun province’s Chebilang subdistrict withdraw a THB1,000 reward for anyone who catches the shark that bit a 12-year-old boy two days earlier.
Varawut reasoned that sharks are rare marine life, and offering the reward would encourage people to hunt them down, threatening the ecosystem.
He suggested instead that they install a sign warning beachgoers and swimmers about the dangers, while children should be under adult supervision.
Marine expert and conservationist Thon Thamrongnawasawat agreed.
“Please don’t hunt the shark,” he wrote. “It’s a part of the sea, an indicator of the ecosystem. Satun’s sea won’t be the best sea if it’s without sharks.”
No one actually saw the offending shark.
On Friday, the boy was bitten in the foot at the Chebilang Pier. He received 50 stitches to patch up the wound, which fishermen looked at and said totally came from a shark.
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