Child recovering after shark bite on NC coast

Cyndy Holda of the National Park Service said the child was bitten on the lower portion of her right leg and a foot around 5 p.m. Tuesday on Ocracoke Island. The girl had been playing near the beach with a boogie board in about 18 inches of water when she was bitten. Family members said the girl's mother was 10 feet away and saw the attack. 

The child, whose name was not released, was flown to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville. 

The girl's family released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying the child was in good condition. 

"She is in good spirits, declaring this morning that, 'I hate sharks. I like dolphins way better,'" the family said. 

Ranger Kenny Ballance, of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, said late afternoon and early morning are the most common times of day to see sharks so close to shore.

A park service spokesman says the last shark bite on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore was off Avon in 2001 when a man died from his injuries.