It was reported from Sidney, Australia, that lifeguards at a beach
north of Sydney were stunned when a man walked into their post looking
for help with a small shark attached to his leg.

Luke Tresoglavic swam 1,000 feet to shore, walked to his car and drove
to the local surf club with the two-foot shark biting his leg and
refusing to let go.

"I just realized I had to swim in like that, hanging on to it,"
Tresoglavic told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Wednesday.

Tresoglavic, 22, was snorkeling on a reef off Caves Beach near
Newcastle on Tuesday when a wobbegong, or carpet shark, attacked his
leg.

"Once I got on to shore, a couple of people tried to help me, but I
could not remove it. It was stuck there, so I got up into my car and
then drove to the clubhouse, and luckily the guys down there had a
clue what to do," he said.

Lifeguard Michael Jones said he couldn't believe his eyes when
Tresoglavic turned up -- shark in tow.

"He basically asked the question: 'Can you help me get it off?'
There's nothing in our procedure manual for that type of thing," Jones
said.

The lifeguards flushed the shark's gills with fresh water, forcing it
to loosen its grip on Tresoglavic's leg -- with blood oozing from 70
needle-like punctures. The shark later died.

Tresoglavic was taken to hospital, but it was not immediately clear
what treatment he received.

Wobbegong sharks can grow up to 10 feet in length, possess razor-sharp
teeth, and are said to be moody and short-tempered.

(Especially the females.)


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