Sharks - Why They Shouldn't Be Killed

Although the Hollywood image of sharks has left many people afraid of the water, it is important to be aware of the fact that sharks are not seeking out humans as prey. In fact, shark attacks on humans usually only result in a single bite and they would prefer to eat their typical food rather than humans.

The hunter's diet is comprised of fish, seals, and other assorted sea creatures. We find them so terrifying in part because of the characteristics they've evolved to fit into their ecological niche: strength, agility, and an enormous number of teeth.

It is often when people mimic prey animals' behavior, though, that they're in any danger from a shark. Swimming far out from shore, flailing about while riding a surf board trying to catch the next big wave, they've put themselves in position to be mistaken for an injured seal. The people may not know what they've done, but it's no different from the guy who jumped in for a swim just as the tide was going out and was dragged out to sea. They're just doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Even so, only a dozen or so people, out of the millions that go to beaches every year, get killed by sharks. Additionally, there are only around 90 or so shark attacks each year and many of those are nudges or bumps that leave nothing more than bruises. Each is certainly a tragedy but looking at it in context, the events are accidental rather than malicious.

Strange though it may seem, falling coconuts actually cause 10 times as many injuries to humans as sharks do. The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive of sharks but they very rarely attack humans. You'll find yourself more at risk whilst you drive to the beach, bearing in mind that driving kills more than 40,000 people on the US each year.

It is only human to feel compassion for anyone who suffers a shark bite. However, one should also feel a similar sort of distress on behalf of all those sharks that will be slaughtered for vengeance. These creatures cannot comprehend the reason they are being tracked and murdered. Only humans can recognize the concept of punishment. Unless we eradicate them all, we are going to have to learn to live alongside them. We have certainly not achieved safety by attempting the former approach.