Shark expert Dr Riley Elliott explains how to stay safe around sharks at holiday hotspots plus reveals his new app that lets you track sharks in real-time this summer. Video / NZ Herald
A woman attacked by a shark in Southland is now in intensive care after undergoing surgery and faces a “long recovery”, her mother told the Herald.
The 21-year-old suffered a significant leg wound in a late-night shark attack while wading in knee-deep water at about 2am yesterday.
Southland Police saidthe woman was walking through the water in an estuary near the Riverton rugby grounds when she was bitten by the shark.
“She received a significant laceration to her leg that required treatment from emergency services,” a police statement said.
“The culprit is possibly a sevengill shark, which is present in the estuary. The time of day is a possible factor.”
”We are from Riverton, so this will hit the community hard as this is an area that many people take their children to.”
A broadnose sevengill shark.
The mother told the Herald the incident would “have a deep impact” on her daughter, who is well known in Riverton for working at the local supermarket.
”She is a very strong woman, and I know that she will get through this. Recovery will be slow; however, in time, she will be okay.”
The mother was in London when she heard the news and had booked a flight home as soon as possible.
A Southern Te Whatu Ora spokeswoman said the woman was in a stable condition.
Hato Hone St John confirmed they were notified at 2.27am on Monday “of an incident involving an animal”.
“We responded [with] one ambulance and one rapid response unit to Leader Street, Riverton,” a spokesman said.
“Our paramedics treated and transported one patient in a serious condition to Southland Hospital.”
Located 30km west of Invercargill, Riverton is a popular holiday destination and police are asking anyone heading into the water to “follow safety guidelines and avoid late-night swims”.
Speaking to the Herald in 2022, New Zealand Marine Studies Centre educator Rob Lewis said that in southern New Zealand, sevengill sharks often moved closer to shore in the summer.
