"I still love sharks!" Bloodied woman hospitalized after ocean attack in Australia

A woman who was left bloodied after being attacked while swimming in Australia told reporters "I still love sharks" as she was stretchered off to hospital Tuesday. The 29-year-old, identified as Anika Craney by the Brisbane Times, was taking a dip off Queensland when she was set upon by an unidentified creature in the water, suffering cuts and a possible broken ankle.

But Craney, who is a filmmaker working on a shark documentary, was still determined to give the ocean predators the benefit of the doubt.

"I still love sharks!" she yelled to camera crews as she was wheeled past on a stretcher. "Sharks are beautiful."

Although Craney was in pain when paramedics arrived, Queensland Ambulance paramedic Terry Cumming said she was now stable, smiling and very happy. The Queensland Ambulance Service posted an image of the helicopter which transported the woman to the hospital.

Marine biologist Gareth Phillips said the fact that the woman's injuries were relatively minor suggested it was unlikely to have been a shark that bit her, but probably some other large fish.

"If it was a shark it would have been a very small shark," he said. "There's a strong chance that it was a giant trevally or a red sea bass."

In:
• Australia