Great white shark scavenging whale carcass

Black December refers to at least nine shark attacks on humans causing six deaths that occurred along the coast of Natal Province in the Union of South Africa, from December 18, 1957, to April 5, 1958.[1]

Perfect storm

In December 1957 several key factors occurred simultaneously to attract sharks to the Durban area, including: (1) whaling ships operating in the area; (2) rivers had flooded and washed livestock into the Indian Ocean and made the river deltas murky; and (3) recent resort development had increased the number of tourists swimming off the beaches.[2] Adding to the confusion was the lack of adequate shark research and the knowledge to prevent shark attacks in 1957.[2]

Attack victims

NameAgeDateSpeciesLocationCommentsRef.
Fay Jones Bester281958-04-05UnknownUvongoFatal attack, while surfing. [3][4]
Nicholaas Badenhorst291958-04-03UnknownPort EdwardFatal attack, arm severed above elbow, abdomen & leg bitten, while swimming.[3][5]
Derryck Garth Prinsloo421958-01-04Great white sharkScottburghFatal attack, mauled below waist, femoral artery severed, while standing.[3][6]
Unknown male--1958UnknownMaKakatana RiverFatal attack, right leg severed above knee, while fishing.[3][7]
Julia Painting141957-12-30UnknownMargateNon-fatal attack, left arm severed, torso bitten, thigh lacerated, many abrasions, while standing.[3][8]
Donald Webster201957-12-26UnknownPort EdwardNon-fatal attack, lacerations on head and neck, while skindiving.[3][9]
Vernon James Berry231957-12-23UnknownMargateFatal attack, right arm broken & stripped of flesh, left hand severed above wrist, lower abdomen, buttocks, & thigh bitten, while floating.[3][10]
Allan Green151957-12-20UnknownUvongoFatal attack, multiple severe injuries, while standing.[3][11]
Robert Wherley161957-12-18UnknownKarrideneNon-fatal attack, left leg severed at knee, part of left thigh removed, while body surfing.[3][12]

Attempted solutions

Tourists fled the Durban area during Black December causing a devastating impact on the local economy.[13] The local authorities desperately made attempts to protect swimmers and surfers from sharks.[1] These attempts included enclosures built from wooden poles and netting; however, both were ineffective and were destroyed by the surf.[1] A South African Navy frigate dropped depth charges causing few shark fatalities and attracted many more sharks into the area that feasted on the dead fish.[1]

KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board

As a result of Black December the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, previously the Natal Sharks Board and Natal Anti-Shark Measures Board, was formed in 1962.[14][15][16] The organization's mandate is to maintain shark nets and drum lines at 38 places, along 320 km of coastline of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, to protect bathers and surfers from possible shark attacks.[14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "South Africa Rethinks Use of Shark Nets". Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December". 2 August 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via IMDb.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 surfer. "The complete South African Shark Attack Related Incident Record". Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  4. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Uvongo in 1958". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  5. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Port Edward in 1958". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  6. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Scottburgh in 1958". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  7. ↑ fish. "shark attack in MaKakatana River in 1958". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  8. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Margate in 1957". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  9. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Splash Rock Port Edward in 1957". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  10. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Margate in 1957". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  11. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Uvongo in 1957". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  12. ↑ fish. "shark attack in Karridene in 1957". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Gulf News: Keeping great whites at bay
  14. 1 2 "History of protection against shark attack in KZN". KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  15. ↑ "An overview of the KZN Sharks Board". KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  16. ↑ Africa Geographic: Shark nets - the real killers of the sea? Archived May 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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