The BBC reports that the shark cull that was being carried out in Western Australia has been vetoed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Western Australian state government had instituted seven drum line baited traps in an effort, it said, to prevent shark attacks on the state’s beaches. This caused a worldwide protest, and the policy has now been overturned by the EPA, citing the fact that there was “a high degree of scientific uncertainty” about its efficacy. The traps were set specifically to target great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) which were responsible for the attacks, however of the 170 animals caught in the traps, none were great whites. (Image from Shutterstock).