HERE IS A dangerous fallout from the Australian floods: sharks flushed out of rivers into popular coastal spots.

The Queensland Shark Control Program says that sharks inhabit estuaries, rivers, creeks, canals and streams as well as coastal waters. At this time of year in particular, large numbers of bull sharks move upstream to have their pups. According to the Program’s director Tony Ham, a “fair percentage” of these adolescent sharks would have been flushed out of the river because of the increased volumes of rainwater.

He warned that these bull sharks posed a “heightened risk for anyone swimming, or surfing, in dirty water, especially near a river mouth”, according to the Courier Mail in Australia. He added that bull sharks are well-known for attacks on humans.

The flooding had also inspired warnings about crocodiles prowling the swollen waterways after Christmas. Northern Territory News has pictures of four German tourists being rescued from a croc-infested river crossing. However, their police rescuers had little sympathy for the tourists saying they had ignored large closure signs before becoming stuck in the 1 metre-deep water.

Snakes are also a hazard with extra anti-venom being flown in to central Queensland to cope with the deluge of snakes seeking shelter in evacuated houses. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the floods are believed to have peaked. The national Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that the peak of around 9.2 metres is expected to last for 36 hours.