DENPASAR,

TOKYO:

Indonesia:

An American surfer has been mauled by a two-metre (six-foot) shark off the Indonesian resort island of Bali, sustaining a serious arm injury, a doctor said Wednesday.

Ryan Boarman, in his 20s, was admitted to hospital in the west of the holiday island Monday shortly after being attacked by the shark as he surfed at Balian beach.

While shark attacks are generally rare in Bali there have been several such incidents in recent years at Balian, a popular surfing spot.

Doctor Ni Gusti Ayu Made Sri Pujarini, who initially treated Boarman at a local hospital, said he was conscious when brought in.

“He said that he saw a twometre shark just before he felt the pain,” she told AFP. “His wounds were consistent with shark bite injuries, you could see the teeth marks.”

Pujarini said he underwent emergency surgery and was then transferred to a bigger hospital in the Balinese capital Denpasar.

Twiggy Van Ryan, an Australian who lives near Balian, described how he saw Boarman shortly after the attack and helped dress his wound before he was taken to hospital. (AFP)

Felines at Japan’s popular “cat cafes” are now allowed to stay up until 10 pm to interact with customers.

The Environment Ministry’s animal rights panel said Wednesday that the cats will be allowed to hang out two hours later than the old guidelines allowed.

Under the 2012 guidelines, cats and other animals at pet shops could not be displayed after 8 pm.

Cat cafes were allowed to have their cats out until 10 pm only for the impact of nightlife on the cats’ health to be studied. During the trial period, only cats age 1 or older that were free to take a break were allowed to be out at cafes for up to 12 hours.

Experts concluded the late hours made no notable difference on cats’ stress levels.

Cafe owners say their felines are not under stress being out until late because they are nocturnal anyway and became used to a cafe environment while growing up. (AP)