Sharks are on Twitter – Did You Know?

If you haven’t already heard about the tech savvy sharks of Western Australia, we though you should know about them. As part of an amazing effort to keep humans and sharks safe, a program launched by the Surf Life Saving Western Australia  is using technology and social media to warm swimmers and beach goers when sharks come close to the beach. Over 300 sharks have been tagged, and that number is growing every day. When the tagged sharks swim within 1 kilometre of a beach, the transmitter pings a computer, which then tweets the information. The area off the coast of Western Australia is considered one of the deadliest places in the world for shark attacks. Of course, human surfers are not the only ones in danger. The tweets include the type of shark, the size, the location, and the time. The Twitter account @SLSWA also tweets alerts about other efforts including the programs efforts to relocate sharks that are close to shore and when a new shark is tagged into the program. All this is in addition to the regular activity that has always been on their account including patrol alerts, warnings, events, and pictures of the action of the coast of Western Australia. You will see an occasional photo of marine life, rescues, or just the beauty of the wild Indian Ocean.

Will this new technology help Australia, wildlife, sharks, and people? As more advances are made, and real time social media is utilized in programs like these, the outcome is looking up. Equipping sharks with warning devices is a win-win situation for a controversial topic. What other Australian problems do you see technological solutions for? Social media has done a lot for businesses and social life, now it is working for wildlife too. Please share your thoughts in the comments.