SYDNEY, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- An Australian surfer was attacked by a shark and taken to hospital on Sunday, the latest incident involving the top marine predators that have claimed at least one life and injured several others in recent weeks, according to local media.
The surfer, in his 20s, was on a bodyboard off Pyramids Beach, south of Western Australia state capital Perth, when he was bitten early Sunday, the ABC news channel reported.
He was flown to hospital and "suffered traumatic injuries to a foot and ankle," ambulance services were quoted as saying. The beach was subsequently closed after the attack, reported the channel.
The latest incident comes after a spate of shark attacks off the country's coasts, including the death of a 33-year-old man near Cid Harbor at the Whitsunday Islands tourist area in Queensland state earlier in the month.
In late September, a 12-year-old girl lost her leg and a 46-year-old woman suffered serious leg injuries in separate shark attacks in the same area. Last week, a man was also taken to hospital with calf injuries after fighting off a shark with his surfboard in northern New South Wales state.
Authorities are laying out advanced electronic drum lines along nearly 300 km of coastline off Western Australia's most popular beaches as part of latest measures to deal with shark attacks and keep the predators away from swimmers. But animal welfare groups have also condemned the catching and killing of sharks following the recent attacks.
