Now, now, before you start to become deathly afraid of sharks and swear never to go swimming in the ocean again, know this — the odds of your being attacked by a shark are 11.5 million-to-one against! And the odds of being killed by a shark? 1 in 3.7 million. In fact, you are more likely to die from the flu, from a fall, even from a flowerpot, than from a shark attack. You are more likely to get bitten by a dog, a snake or a deadly virus-carrying mosquito than a shark. You are more likely to get injured by a pail or, this is really true, by a room freshener, than by a shark.

Every year, only around five people die from shark attacks, whereas millions die of starvation.

Get it? You’re very unlikely to be attacked or killed by a shark, unless you’re deliberately feeding yourself to one — or are plain unlucky.

Toodles