A boy received more than 30 stitches on Phuket after he was bitten by an animal that marine authorities believed to be a shark.
While suspicions have fallen on a shark for the leg wound sustained by the 8-year-old, Thai-Ukrainian boy on Sunday at Phuket’s Kamala Beach, the boy believed that it was a barracuda. His wound required 33 stitches to close.
Local authorities suspected it was a shark based on the wound and teeth marks. It’s very likely that the boy was bitten by either a bull shark or blacktip shark, according to Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, chief of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center.
Kongkiat said the boy was attacked in a surfing area, where sharks commonly forage for food.
Since Sunday evening, warning signs have gone up along Kamala Beach telling swimmers to be cautious. They read, “WARNING. Beware of injurious and poisonious [sic] sea animals” and list hotline 1669. A few lifeguards were also installed at four spots in the area.
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