Sharks under attack

last updated 8 January 2015

Rio de Janeiro

Brazilian bathers attacked and killed three sharks this week after numerous sightings sparked panic on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Lifeguards ordered swimmers to leave the fish alone, and environmental officials threatened jail terms of up to a year under wildlife protection laws. Sharks are common in the area, a civil defense official said, but the public is gripped by “shark hysteria.” A young swimmer was bitten last week, and a flurry of sightings made matters worse. Beachgoer Rodrigo Eichler told the Rio daily O Globo that he was in the water when a crowd caught a small shark and began beating it. Eichler yelled at the mob to stop, but he was too late. “It was like a public lynching,” he said.