Man bit by ‘large shark’ in Florida Keys 

A tourist was bitten by a “large shark” while swimming in the Florida Keys last week, local police reported. 

A 34-year-old Romanian tourist was swimming in the water by the Outer Mole of Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park when he was bitten in the leg by the shark, according to the Key West Police Department. 

The man suffered lacerations to his leg, but his injuries were not life-threatening. He was able to walk on his own to an ambulance, said a police report of the incident obtained by the Miami Herald.

Park rangers warned beachgoers of the shark attack by raising purple flags. However, the park rangers “closely monitored the water, but did not observe any sharks,” throughout the weekend, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 

The number of shark attacks around the world has increased over the past ten years, however, they are still rare, according to data from FloridaPanhandle.com, which compiles a database of shark attacks reported by media around the world. 

According to the data, there were 62 shark attacks on humans last year, eight of which resulted in fatalities. The United States reported the most shark attacks, with 38 individuals encountering a shark. However, no fatalities were reported. Most of the attacks were reported in Florida. 

"If you put that into perspective as to how many people are in the water, how many sharks are in the water ... you really realize how unlikely it is that you're going to get bitten by a shark," Yannis Papastamatiou, a professor at Florida International University who studies shark behavior told CBS News. "... It's just a numbers game. And the fact is, the relative probability is extremely low."