By Lionel Taorao
ISLES MEDIA FREELANCE REPORTER IN ULAWA
Elders on Ulawa Island in the Makira Ulawa province are shocked and surprised after a man was attacked by a shark last week.
The incident which happened on Sunday 17th October 2021 at Aosi waters has sparked fear amongst neighboring communities as the people there say that the incident is odd as for the past 50 years, nothing as such happened.
One community elder, Mr. Vincent Hiki says that something is not right that’s why this Incident happened.
“It has been over 50 years now since the last shark attack incident which happened on Ulawa Island that resulted in the death of a teacher at the school at Arona way back in the 1970s who was believed to be killed by his own father to show his black magical powers to his cousin brother who adopted the deceased after a dispute”, he says.
“The incident happened when I was a young man and I also saw the deceased when they took him back here at su’umoli for burial”, Mr. Hiki says.
Mr. Hiki says that the father of the deceased, who is also the last Ulawan to have converted to Christianity, then tour around the Island by sea visiting all the tabu sites making offerings so as to put a stop to all the customary turtle sharks never again to attack anyone in the future.
It is this that sparked fear in fishermen and especially those who are currently harvesting beach de mar as there are many rumors also going around about the incident.
The incident on Sunday afternoon got the victim was bitten by the shark on the left leg inflicting serious wounds on his lower leg.
Witnesses say that he was diving fish for his community’s handing over ceremony of their water supply and sanitation project funded under the SIRDP cycle four project when this happened.
He was rushed to the Taheramo clinic and was flown over to Honiara on Monday morning by helicopter. The victim was now slowly recovering at the National referral hospital.
