A shark attack victim who momentarily died as he was rushed to hospital has said the marine animals shouldn’t be culled as ‘you can’t blame a shark for being a shark’, just days after a British father-of-two was taken down in front of his helpless family.
Cameron Wrathall was left with a shattered hip after he was set upon by an aggressive bull shark while swimming in Perth’s Swan River in January.
Despite this, the Bicton father-of-two, who has been left with a paralysed left leg, has revealed he will not support the return of shark culls in Western Australia.
Cameron Wrathall (pictured) was left with a shattered hip after he was set upon by an aggressive bull shark while swimming in Perth’s Swan River in January
Despite this, the Bicton father-of-two (pictured, middle) – who has been left with a paralysed left leg – has revealed he will not support the return of shark culls in Western Australia
‘I don’t believe in culling because you can’t blame a shark for being a shark. It is in their nature to act the way they do,’ he told the West Australian.
The father said while he understood people’s ‘fear-based’ reactions to sharks, there were risks involved in everyday scenarios such as driving a car or crossing a road, and open water swimming was no different.
He urged authorities to look at other methods to keep swimmers safe such as tagging sharks, improving netted areas and increasing surveillance of the animals.
It comes just days after Paul Millachip, 57, was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming at Port Beach in North Fremantle at around 10am on Saturday.
Despite a large search effort over two days at Port Beach, all that has been found of the British father-of-two is a pair of swimming googles.
Paul Millachip, 57, was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming at Port Beach in North Fremantle at around 10am on Saturday (pictured with his wife)
The Perth father-of-two was attacked while swimming in Perth’s Swan River (pictured) and momentarily died as he was rushed to hospital
The search for Mr Millachip was called off on Sunday evening.
Sharks were last systematically culled in Western Australian waters in 2014 with more than 170 of the marine animals killed in the ‘catch and kill’ program.
The controversial initiative was quickly dropped by then-Premier Colin Barnett who had advocated for the program to continue for another three years.
The latest incident follows warnings that shark attacks are increasing.
From 2010 to 2020 there were 220 shark attacks in Australia, and in 2021 there have been 18 attacks with two of them confirmed as deadly.
Speaking on Sunday afternoon, Mr Millachip’s wife said her husband of 32 years died doing what he loved, which was out enjoying the surf and keeping fit.
The search for Mr Millachip was called off on Sunday evening with Fisheries and Water Police continuing surveillance at the popular beach on Monday (pictured, patrols on Saturday)
Mr Wrathall (pictured) has urged authorities to look at other methods to keep swimmers safe such as tagging sharks, improving netted areas and increasing surveillance of the animals.
‘Rest in peace Paul,’ she said.
She thanked authorities for ‘being extremely thorough’ and the support of friends as their families are both in the UK
The devastated mum also said she was grateful to a group of teenage boys who had called triple zero and made sure others got out of the water.
‘It must have been an absolutely terrifying experience for them, so my heart goes out to them,’ she said, her voice wavering. ‘I thank them for what they did.
‘Amazing. They could potentially have saved other lives.’
Mr Millachip was a regular at the popular beach, and his wife and two adult children were there at the time of the attack (pictured, search and rescue vessels at Port Beach on Saturday)
Mr Millachip was a regular at the popular beach, and his wife and two adult children were there at the time of the attack.
‘A family is now grieving, a man has lost his life. It’s a terribly sad situation,’ WA Premier Mark McGowan said earlier on Sunday.
Port Beach reopened on Monday just two days after the tragic shark attack, with members of the local Polar Bear swim club gallantly returning to the water.
Fisheries will continue to monitor the stretch of ocean with Water Police also doing loops a few hundred metres from the shore.
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