When we talk about addiction, it seems that we are talking about humans. Sometimes we can also talk about animals near opium fields. But what if you are told that sharks were found in the sea under the influence of opium or cocaine! Yes, this is true, scientists have found cocaine in some sharks swimming in the areas near the coast of Brazil. But what is even more shocking is the reason given by them for cocaine entering their bodies.
Scientists fear that this drug may force all sharks to behave differently. Cocaine was found inside the muscles and liver of 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken near Rio de Janeiro. This was quite surprising in itself.
In a paper published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, biologists say the drug may have come from drains connected to illegal laboratories where cocaine is manufactured. Another disturbing theory is that the drug reached the sea through untreated sewage from the excreta of drug users.
Scientists have found cocaine in 13 fish of sharpnose shark. (Representative photo: Canva)
In addition, since tons of cocaine are dumped into the ocean by drug traffickers themselves, it’s likely that the sharks have fed on these cocaine lumps. But Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, a British scientist and member of the research team at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, told the Telegraph that unlike Mexico and Florida, here “there are not a lot of cocaine lumps being dumped or lost at sea”.
When researchers dissected smaller sharks, they found very high levels of cocaine. This was 100 times higher than previously found in other marine animals, and was “of concern” for marine ecosystems. Cocaine is likely to affect the sharks’ health.
Tags: Amazing news, Bizarre news, OMG News, Weird news
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 23, 2024, 19:49 IST