Off the coast of Brazil, scientists have discovered cocaine in sharks, which has sparked concerns about potential behavioral changes.
Researchers in the field of marine biology discovered that all thirteen Brazilian sharp-nose sharks that were sampled from the coastal waters close to Rio de Janeiro tested positive for cocaine.
According to a study published in the Science of the Total Environment journal, the substance likely came from either the wastewater of underground cocaine factories or, more specifically, the untreated sewage of drug users.
The scientists also considered the less probable possibility that it originated from the sharks’ consumption of cocaine bundles that were either abandoned or discarded overboard by drug smugglers.
Because cocaine impairs one’s eyesight and hunting abilities, scientists are now worried that cocaine may alter marine animal’s lifespans.
So far, observations indicate that the drug was not making them ‘go bananas’ or go on a feeding frenzy, like the movie Cocaine Bear. The film depicts a bear who stumbled upon a cache of cocaine being smuggled by drug dealers and turns into a maniacal, addicted killer.
Researchers believe that the sharks had been exposed to cocaine on a regular basis.
The University of Florida’s Dr. Tracy Fanara, an authority in ecotoxicology and environmental engineering, warned that while cocaine might not be causing them to go insane, it could shorten their lifespan.
Marine researchers issued a warning in July 2023 that drug-addled sharks may start consuming cocaine bundles that were dropped off the Florida coast by drug smugglers.
Marine biologist Tom Hird investigated the possibility that drugs impacted local sharks in a program for Discovery’s Shark Week. Drug traffickers sometimes toss drugs into the sea as a means of evasion.
Hird and his colleagues observed the sharks’ unusual movements and behavior. They even discovered that the predators would hurry to devour a cocaine-looking package they put into the water.
