The French Island of Reunion , located in the Indian Ocean has now become a high-risk location for shark encounters. Two in one week at the same spot is becoming a deadly risk for tourists wanted to swim at Reunion beaches. The visitors’ limb, still with his wedding ring on, was found inside a tiger shark caught off the paradise isle.
Mr Turner, a land registry worker from Saughton, UK vanished while snorkeling in the Indian Ocean during a holiday with his wife. Two men have died at the same spot where it is feared the Edinburgh holidaymaker was eaten by a shark. Two fit men, both excellent swimmers, have died there in a week.
(eTN):A tourist Island considered high risk to be eaten by a shark | re-post license | post content
Mr. Turner drowned when he was swept out into the ocean when he was attacked by a shark and eaten by the animal. Turner’s remains have not been found.
DNA tests have confirmed the hand found inside the shark belonged to Mr. Turner but forensics officers are still unable to say whether a shark caused his death or whether he drowned before being eaten.
American expert Dr. Craig O’Connell said tiger sharks are known to be relentless scavengers.
Réunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean, is known for its volcanic, rainforested interior, coral reefs, and beaches.
800 kilometers east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, the tropical island of Réunion makes up the Mascarene Islands, along with the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues. Réunion and Mayotte are the only French departments in the southern hemisphere. Réunion is 9,180 kilometers from Paris. With its tropical forests, volcanic massifs and sugarcane plantations, Réunion is a truly colorful island.
Visitors are quick to see its appeal: tourism has been booming for many years. The island boasts an ethnically diverse population (its history has seen a constantly changing flow of people), a wide range of fauna and flora (coconut trees, vanilla plants, mango trees, and the perfumed vetiver grass) and an all-important location in the southwest of the Indian Ocean. A French territory since 1638, Réunion became a French department in 1946.
With a total area of 2512 square kilometers, the island has 210 kilometers of mostly inhospitable coastline, although there are 25 kilometers of white sandy beaches and nearly 14 kilometers of black sandy beaches in the west of the island. Réunion offers virtually no natural shelter for sailing apart from the Bay of Saint Paul. It has two volcanic areas.
In the northwest, the Piton des Neiges (3,069 meters) overlooks the three calderas of Cilaos, Salazie, and Mafate which surround it. This last village, home to 700 people, is inaccessible by car. These landforms are the result of the collapse and erosion of the flanks of the old volcano. In the southeast, the Piton de la Fournaise (2,631m) is an active shield volcano. It is a particularly active volcano, which erupts about three times a year — a spectacle that is always enjoyed by the locals. The Plaine des Cafres and the Plaine des Palmistes which converge at the Col de Bellevue link the two massifs of the Piton des Neiges and the Piton de la Fournaise.
The shape of the island, which experiences very heavy rains during the wet season because of its tropical climate (between 2,600 and 4,000 mm in the east from November to April), resulted in the formation of innumerable ravines and rivers which descend from the summits, with steep gorges and quieter areas, filled with rocks and, in some cases, beautiful waterfalls and pools. The erosion in Réunion is some of the most extreme in the world; it is irreversible and shapes the island’s landscapes and topography.
The east and windy side of the island has high levels of rainfall and is home to various rivers (the Mât, the Marsouins, and the East rivers), in contrast to the arid lands of the sheltered west coast. Réunion’s vegetation, which has many endemic species, changes with the altitude and the climate: tropical forest and dry savannah, sugarcane plantations and fruit trees. The forest is home to extraordinary tree ferns and fantastically colorful birds.
Réunion Island is part of the Vanilla Island Group.