I am in Mauritius attending the the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Symposium which opened on Monday this week. This impressive gathering of scientists, mostly from the region but also from other parts of the world, is held very 2 years.

The tragic death of Rolly Lesperance, apparently resulting from a shark attack, has shocked the nation. Despite rumors of foul play or other allegations, the incident has awoken a primal fear of shark attacks in many people. But the truth is that sharks are at risk and not us.

The world may be on the verge of a pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all countries undertake urgent actions to prepare for a new, global, influenza pandemic. I wrote about this earlier in this newspaper but the poultry flu strain known as H5N1 continues to move across the world. Wild birds are frequently blamed which is why I am interested.