A bull shark was reportedly spotted swimming right past a man’s home in Australia following a superstorm that resulted in floodwaters.
The photo that quickly went viral was taken in Burleigh Waters, Gold Coast, where a resident noticed a bull shark swimming right past the fence of his home as floodwaters reached higher levels than usual due to a powerful storm.
The canal system in the area connects freshwater sources to the sea and has long been known as a spot occasionally visited by bull sharks.
Back in 2002 and 2003, two people were reportedly killed by the predators in the area. In recent years, a number of bull sharks were also caught while swimming in the canals.
Sharing the photo of the shark swimming right in front of his home, the man wrote: “Another wild day on the Gold Coast! Bull Shark in the backyard at Burleigh Waters.”
After the picture went viral, people were left divided whereas some suggested the photo was photoshopped while others said it was possible for sharks to swim this close to homes due to the canal being flooded.
“North QLD get crocs, the Gold Coast gets bull sharks. This little guy at Burleigh Heads is enjoying his new pond,” one person wrote.
“I was fishing near there with my grandson last year and something big took his bait and ran his line out. Didn’t think much of it at the time. Don’t think I’d go swimming near there any time soon,” another one added.
Not everyone, however, was convinced by the scary photo.
“I reckon it’s a photoshop. One crops up every time we have a flood,” someone suggested. “It’s unusual to see bull sharks up the top.”
Meanwhile, one woman suggested it was completely plausible for bull sharks to explore murky waters after a storm.
“The rivers here are full of sharks and the rivers are also connected to the ocean. Makes sense we’d see them active when the waters are their ideal muddy/murky and there’s new areas for them to explore,” she wrote.
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