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American Morning

Authorities Trying to Determine What Kind of Shark Attacked Couple in North Carolina; Ask CNN: What Causes Sharks to Attack People?

Aired September 05, 2001 - 09:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Authorities are trying to determine what kind of shark attacked a couple in the water off North Carolina's Outer Bank. The man in this case was killed and the woman was severely injured. She's being treated at a hospital in Norfolk.

CNN medical correspondent Rea Blakey is there with an update on her condition.

Good morning, Rea.

REA BLAKEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

We're at Norfolk General Hospital, where the patient apparently is doing well according to doctors attending to her. Twenty-three- year-old Natalia Slobodskaya is recovering well, but has been back to the operating room last evening to have her wounds washed out. Doctors say that's actually a good sign. They were hoping that there would be no infection present, and they say the wounds at this point are actually looking good. In fact today, they are anticipating that they will be able to take her off the ventilator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEFFREY RIBLET, TRAUMA SURGEON: We've really not been able to talk with her much because of breathing tube being in her lungs and she's been heavily sedated. So this morning, I was able to talk with her a little bit. She was able to nod, tell me that she wasn't hurting, tell me that she was certainly ready for tube to be out of her throat, so I think this thing shows good signs for her. She's really progressing nicely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKEY: Slobodskaya and her companion, 28-year-old Sergi Zaloukave, were attacked Monday at about 6:00 p.m. near Avon, North Carolina. Now he died on the scene of sever blood loss. She, however, had her foot amputated by the shark bite, also had 12-inch gash in her upper thigh, along the hip bone and the pelvic bone. The good news being that no major artery in the back of her leg was severed. So that's a good sign as to the possibilities of rehabilitation. However, that's a ways off, because doctors are trying to make sure that there's no infection in the next few days. They're looking for a granulization, a sort of coming together of the wound sight.

And there will definitely be a series of surgeries, Leon, very likely skin grafts, which could be difficult, and also muscle flaps, but it will take some time for her. At this point, however, the doctors say she's doing well.

HARRIS: So, Rea, is she looking at weeks or months in the hospital?

BLAKEY: That may be hard to say. They're really taking this day by day. They are, however, excited about the progress that she's made just in the 24 hours that she's been here, because they say that her vitality is helping her, and she obviously is eager to get off ventilator, something she expressed today by nodding at the doctor, yes I'd like to get off the ventilator, and no she's not in pain at this point. So it looks good at this point.

HARRIS: That's great news. That's great news.

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, with all the publicity of shark attacks this summer, it seems like sharks and questions about sharks are on everyone's mind, including in today's edition of "Ask CNN."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Damont Webb of Inglewood, California asks, "What causes sharks to attack people?"

JAY BRADLEY, CURATOR, NATIONAL AQUARIUM: Well, Damont, I think that's a question that's on everybody's mind these days. Basically sharks are coming in shore waters to feed on fish, and most of these fish are very silver in color, and basically when you're at the beach, you're probably getting a tan, and the palms of your hands and the bottom of your feet usually stay very light.

Now the fish that they are feeding on are actually very silvery and they reflect light, and when you are swimming around and moving your hands around, you are flashing those light portions of your hands and feet, and the majority of attacks on people are on the extremities, the arms or the legs. So they're actually thinking that it's a fish. Usually, what they do is they come in and they bite, they find out that it's not a fish, and then release and they go on about their business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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