Bull shark spotted in local dam
Local residents got the fright of their lives during a visit to the old municipal dam in Bela-Bela.
On Saturday 30 March, a local family, who wants to remain anonymous, joined a group of friends to do some fishing at the old municipal dam in Bela-Bela, when around 16:30 that afternoon one of the visitors noticed a strange object appear in the water.
Thinking that the peculiar object or creature could be a catfish (baber in Afrikaans), or maybe a rogue crocodile, the attentive visitors retreated to their vehicles.
After heavy rains, it is not uncommon for crocodiles to make their way into streams and rivers, and eventually end up in local dams in the Waterberg catchment area, which was exactly what the visitors thought after a recent heavy downpour in the area.
The creature suddenly disappeared into the murky brown water after reappearing a few minutes later, closer to the edge of the dam.
One of the brave male visitors then decided to grab his phone and take a few pictures. After some closer inspection, It was obvious that the creature was not a fish or a crocodile, it was a shark!
Scared, alert, and confused the visitors quickly packed up and headed for home.
After doing a bit of research it is speculated that a bull shark, also known in Southern Africa as a Zambezi shark, found its way into the dam. It is also suspected that the shark, though capable of living in freshwater, but more endemic to warm coastal areas, was deliberately set free by troublemakers. The incident was reported to local authorities.
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