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American Morning

Shark Attack Victim to Undergo Minor Arm and Leg Surgery

Aired July 10, 2001 - 10:14   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to have an update on the 8-year-old boy who's recovering from Friday's vicious shark attack. Just about 90 minutes ago, doctors held a news conference to update on the condition of Jessie Arbogast.

And CNN's Brian Cabell was at that news conference, and he joins us with live now with an update from Pensacola, Florida -- Brian, good morning.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian.

Doctors have said that Jessie will undergo some minor surgery today on his leg and his arm. Both his leg and his arm are doing very well, they said. He will also undergo dialysis today because his kidneys are still not functioning. They are also saying they will take him off of some of his medication, his sedating medication, to see how his brain reacts. Essentially, they say, right now he is in a sleep state. But the good news is that his brain wave study, they say, appears to be stable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. REX NORTHUP, SACRED HEART CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: In regards to his brain and his neurological function, which, again, is one of the biggest issues that we and the family and I think everyone is anxiously waiting to see, his brain wave study or his EEG this morning, according to one of our neurologists, Dr. Tim Livingston remains relatively stable, continues to show evidence of brain activity. We did, as was mentioned yesterday, make some adjustments in his sedation and his analgesia last evening to try to make him more comfortable. And it looks as though that has been successful. It looks as though he is resting more comfortably in bed, at least at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: Doctor Northup, who has been watching him most closely here at Sacred Heart Hospital, says give Jessie a week. If he lasts the first seven days, which would be Friday, there is a very good chance that he will survive. This is time of jeopardy, these next couple of days. The emergency operation center released the 911 calls. As far as we can tell there were three calls made that night, last Friday night. Here is one of those calls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Langdon Beach in Pensacola, Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED OPERATOR: Yes, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: And a boy got bit by a shark.

UNIDENTIFIED OPERATOR: Yes, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: His arms are bit off and it's awful. I think he's unconscious right now and they staid they needed probably a helicopter down here to come get him.

UNIDENTIFIED OPERATOR: OK, you said both arms?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Both?

UNIDENTIFIED OPERATOR: Both arms?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Just one arm, his right arm and his right leg, I think.

UNIDENTIFIED OPERATOR: OK, his right arm and his right leg?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: Again, that was last Friday evening a little before 8:00 right after the attack. We are now four days into this and Jessie is now fighting for his life. But, again as the doctors said earlier today, if he makes it till Friday, there is a good chance he will survive. But there is some concern about brain damage.

I'm Brian Cabell, CNN live in Pensacola, Florida.

NELSON: Brian, could I ask you a question before you go? I know you're not a doctor, but what are the doctors saying about the impact, how the brain is endangered by the loss of the limb?

CABELL: Well, there was concern. As a matter of fact this question was raised yesterday, Brian, that perhaps -- there was a question as to whether they should have operated in the first place, that perhaps operating for 11 hours on reattaching the arm might have caused some trauma to the overall body. And they said they considered that question, but they thought he was stable enough. But in terms of the direct relationship between the two there was none. It was just a matter of putting some overall trauma, extra trauma onto the body and they figured he could survive and so far he has survived.

NELSON: All right, thank you. CNN's Brian Cabell, Pensacola, Florida -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It has more than a quarter century since the movie "Jaws" made us afraid to go into the surf. But the American fear of the killer shark first surged to life 85 years ago this month. That's when a great white shark killed four people on the New Jersey shore. Our next guest is the author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Close To Shore," an account of that horrifying summer of 1916. Michael Capuzzo joining us this morning from Philadelphia. Mike, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

MICHAEL CAPUZZO, AUTHOR, "CLOSE TO SHORE": Hi. Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.

KAGAN: Of course this morning we're talking about bull sharks. That's the kind of shark that was involved in this attack. What can you tell us about that type of shark?

CAPUZZO: The bull shark which was implicated as a possible suspect in the 1916 attacks, you know, the first attacks in American history, is probably the most dangerous to man and women around the world. Pound for pound it doesn't have the sort of awesome size and majesty or film credits of the great white, but it's a lot more common. And it's very aggressive. It's obviously big enough at eight or nine feet, 500 pounds, to do a lot of damage. And sort of most, really, it gets into, it's the only big man eater that's comfortable in fresh and brackish waters, creeks and so forth.

KAGAN: And in that kind of shallow water that this type of attack took place, as well. Let's talk about how these kind of things can be avoided. With all do respect to the family, to the Arbogast family and this little boy that's fighting for his life, these humans were in the shark's house and the shark was doing, as we've heard rangers describe, what sharks do. They feed at this time of day.

CAPUZZO: Right. We have to recognize that, you know, the ocean is not a backyard swimming pool. It is a wilderness. On the other hand, the odds were still with Jessie going swimming. But if you want to cut down on the risk you wouldn't swim at dawn or at dusk and you wouldn't wear jewelry. You'd never swim with a dog because dogs provide a real attraction for sharks. There are a few, and you, a bright swimsuit and a contrasting tan are probably not a great idea. And there's even some discussion among scientists whether menstruating women should go swimming.

KAGAN: You also mentioned that you should swim in groups.

CAPUZZO: Right. Nature, predators are attracted to the lone prey. I mean it's the same as this rule that we face in, you know, in city streets. I mean you stay in a group. Eighty five percent of the shark attacks in the last 400 years measured by scientists have been, nobody's been within 10 feet of the victim.

KAGAN: And you mentioned jewelry just a moment ago. Why not jewelry? What's the problem with that?

CAPUZZO: Because jewelry sparkles like a fish scale and the great white and the bull shark, they're grabbing things. And they hurl through water, in this case cloudy, and they don't know what they're seeing. They check it out with their mouth.

KAGAN: So they could mistake that for some kind of fish scale instead of some little tag?

CAPUZZO: Absolutely, like a shiny fluttering on the surface, the same reason a dog is dangerous, all that churning action of the doggy paddling is like, a shark biologist told me, like salt and pepper for the shark.

KAGAN: Yes, you mentioned the dogs. I can't keep my dog out of the water and I wouldn't, it would never have occurred to me that that would be an attraction to a shark.

CAPUZZO: Well, the first shark attack in American history was July 1, 1916, and a 23-year-old Philadelphia man went swimming with a retriever off of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. And in three and a half feet of water, a great white took his life. And there's little question that the shark was drawn to the actions of the dog.

KAGAN: Do you get concerned, and again, with respect to the little boy who's fighting for his life, but get concerned when something like this happens, that there is a lack of respect for sharks that are, once again, are doing what they do in their native environment and that humans go after them?

CAPUZZO: It gives us an opportunity to keep the, I guess, the polar ends of the truth in our mind. It's hard to, but, on one hand, you know, they are magnificent misunderstood creatures being vastly under fished all over the world -- over fished, excuse me, all over the world, and in danger. On the other hand, in one in a million cases they do become sort of this mythic man eating sea monster and our heart has to go out to the victim and the fear that we feel is legitimate. I mean all those things are true at once, unfortunately. There's no real simple in the middle answer.

KAGAN: And that nightmare coming true for the family, the Mississippi family that was swimming off the coast of Florida.

Michael Capuzzo, thanks for joining us and helping us to understand the sharks a little bit better.

CAPUZZO: Thank you, Daryn.

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