INTERNACIONAL
Australian surfer saved by off-duty police officer after shark ripped off leg, doctors hope to reattach it
Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing off New South Wales in Australia when he was attacked by a shark, New South Wales police said.
«Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach,» a fundraising site set up for McKenzie said. «A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.»
Amazingly, McKenzie’s leg washed up on the beach after the attack and doctors are hoping to be able to reattach it.
McKenzie has undergone surgery and remains in critical but stable condition, according to ABC News Australia and the fundraising site.
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Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing off New South Wales in Australia when he was attacked by a shark, New South Wales police said. (NSW Police)
Luke Short, who makes McKenzie’s surfboards, told ABC they had all hoped «we heard it wrong.»
«It’s amazing that he’s survived,» he added.
His surf team RAGE called McKenzie the «toughest person we know.»
«Sending love to @kai_mckenzie the youngest RAGE boy on the team and the toughest person that we know,» the team wrote on Instagram this week. «Yesterday he was attacked by a shark and has lost his leg while surfing in Port Macquarie. He has been through a lot breaking his back last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible. He is an inspiring person. The whole rage gang loves you man and we will see you soon.»
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«Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach,» a fundraising site set up for McKenzie said. «A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.» (Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Kirran Mowbray of NSW Ambulance called McKenzie «courageous» during a 7News Sydney on-air broadcast. «He turned around, caught a wave into shore.»
She added that the off-duty officer «used the lead off a dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man’s leg and essentially saved his life.»
Kevin Young, vice president of Bite Club, a shark attack survivors club, told the broadcast: «And I know he lost a leg and they packed it with ice and they’re going down to try to reattach it. That just blows my brain that that might be possible.»
Mid North Coast Police Chief Insp. Stuart Campbell said they would be working to try to find out what type of shark bit McKenzie.
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Port Macquarie Hastings Lifeguards later reported the beach had reopened after the attack.
INTERNACIONAL
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with «Equipment St Petersburg» written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
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Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
«It’s absolutely horrible,» marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. «He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.»
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Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
«We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,» the organization said on social media.
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir «bridged the gap» between humans and wild animals in a way «few can.»
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«Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,» the organization said. «Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.»
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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