Beach visitors are frightened by a turtle that has already bitten three people. Reports of this unusual biting behavior have been made several times – a child and two adults were injured on the Croatian Adriatic coast.
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Croatian media report that the injuries to the child and one of the adults were superficial. However, one woman reportedly suffered more serious injuries while swimming – her finger was broken, and the turtle bit her on the buttocks.
According to local media, the victim’s daughter recounted the attack.
“My mother was swimming in Poštansko. A diver told her that a large turtle was approaching her, but before he could warn her, it had already bitten her thigh and would not let go,” she said. “Mom hit it until it let go. After the bite, she had a bruise.”
The director of the local emergency medical service, Antonija Žanić, stated that the woman was taken to the hospital. It was confirmed there that the wound was caused by a turtle bite and was stitched up.
Croatian marine biologist Pero Tutman, speaking to the portal “Portal,” warned vacationers about the ongoing unusual turtle attacks. According to him, such behavior is completely uncharacteristic for this species.
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Pero Tutman, working at the Croatian Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, said: “This is a completely unusual situation for me, that turtles would attack people. Such behavior is not typical for them; they are not aggressive because they are not that type of predator.”
“They feed on completely different organisms. They cannot even feed on fish because fish are much faster than they are. Whether this is related to climate warming, I really don’t know. It is unusual for them to come so close to the shore and react to people this way,” the specialist explained.
In the rare case that a large sea turtle approaches, beach visitors are advised to keep their distance and not touch the animal. If the turtle does bite, one should immediately get out of the water and seek the nearest medical help point.
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