Shark Attack In Florida Bit A Chunk Out Of A Leg, But Tracking System Hopes To Prevent Harm In 2014

A shark attack in Florida was so severe that one woman suffered from having a chunk taken out of her leg. But how could science help prevent future Florida shark attacks in 2014?

In a related report by The Inquisitr, if you pit a great white shark versus an inflatable boat then the outcome seems pretty obvious, but one crew filmed the whole shark attack from within their flimsy vessel. Of course, that is why great white sharks like the so-called “Joan Of Shark” are tagged with a tracking system off the coast of Australia.

In fact, in order to prevent a Florida shark attack from the local great white sharks, officials use a very similar system where satellite tags can attached to the dorsal fins of the ferocious sea creatures. Data can be collected when the sharks pass near the surface of the water. The funny part is that a 2,300 pound shark nicknamed Katharine even has her own twitter account with the handle @Shark_Katharine, and the shark tweets out messages like:

Hey @AshleighWalters @WPTV @OCEARCH. We should do a live feed. #sharkworld #amcrew pic.twitter.com/NdHKtEsz3x

— Katharine The Shark (@Shark_Katharine) May 15, 2014

Although the tweets come off as pretty goofy, the whole point of the tracking system is so that officials know when the hidden predator is lurking beneath the waves of a nearby beach. This way, people can be warned ahead of time.

Unfortunately, 38-year-old Amy Tatsch suffered from a shark attack from one creature that probably was not tagged. Doctors estimate the nasty biter was probably a bull shark that was about seven feet long based upon measuring the shark bite, which tore her Achilles tendon and her calf was a couple of inches from being taken off completely.

Tatsch described the shark attack, saying she was just boogie boarding with her brother when the bull shark came out of nowhere:

“We caught a couple of waves. He caught one and I drifted down a little farther with the current so I was a little farther away and the next wave that was coming up, I was ready,” she said. “I kicked off with my right leg to give me some momentum to ride in and that’s when I got bumped. It was a really hard bump and then seconds after I felt my leg being torn and then I felt the motion of something big swimming away.”

The damage from the shark attack was severe enough that Tatsch has gone through multiple surgeries during these past weeks. She cannot quite get up, but she says “it’s so much nicer to be home and be able to be outside.”