Killing Sharks for vengeance: an opinion
David Lillenfield, champion bodysurfer, was killed by a Great White Shark during a competition in South Africa on April 20th, 2012. He was only twenty years old.
The details are horrific and terrifying and won't be recounted here. While my initial reaction to his death was typical: sad, horrified, shocked, I was also filled with a sense of dread that the shark would be hunted and killed.
I've always had a problem with killing animals who kill people, especially sharks. I'm not a marine biologist so, to me, all great white sharks look the same. When a shark is killed, for revenge, how do we know we've killed the right shark?
Furthermore, sharks are the world's perfect predators and they live in the ocean. They are unintelligent creatures who live only to feed. When they see a body surfer in the water, it resembles their favorite food source: seals. They do what instinct tells them and they eat. They don't have the brains to determine whether or not what they see is actually a food source, nor do they have hands and feet to examine potential food sources. All they have are jaws and teethe. Powerful jaws, sharp teeth.
So, when we enter the ocean, we do so at our own peril. We are entering the feeding grounds of terrifying predators who want to eat. What right do we have to kill them for doing what nature has programmed them to do?
I'm not some vegetarian, PETA member. I eat meat. I've eaten shark. I don't mind animals being (humanely) killed for food... I mind them being killed for vengeance.
David Lillenfield's family is dealing with a tremendous loss and I sympathize with that. I don't know if, in this case, the attacking shark was killed or not, but I hope not. It won't bring David back and it won't stop future attacks.
There is controversy surrounding this attacj and I certainly don't mean to lessen the impact of Lillenfield's death. I'm just asking us to ignore the travesty accidentally perpetuated by Peter Benchley, Steven Spielberg and Jaws and remember that these are magnificent creatures who won't eat you if you don't go in the water, and who don't deserve to be killed if they act on instinct.
The details are horrific and terrifying and won't be recounted here. While my initial reaction to his death was typical: sad, horrified, shocked, I was also filled with a sense of dread that the shark would be hunted and killed.
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| Champion body surfer, David Lillenfield (20) was killed bya great White Shark during a competeion on April 20th, 2012 |
Furthermore, sharks are the world's perfect predators and they live in the ocean. They are unintelligent creatures who live only to feed. When they see a body surfer in the water, it resembles their favorite food source: seals. They do what instinct tells them and they eat. They don't have the brains to determine whether or not what they see is actually a food source, nor do they have hands and feet to examine potential food sources. All they have are jaws and teethe. Powerful jaws, sharp teeth.
So, when we enter the ocean, we do so at our own peril. We are entering the feeding grounds of terrifying predators who want to eat. What right do we have to kill them for doing what nature has programmed them to do?
I'm not some vegetarian, PETA member. I eat meat. I've eaten shark. I don't mind animals being (humanely) killed for food... I mind them being killed for vengeance.
David Lillenfield's family is dealing with a tremendous loss and I sympathize with that. I don't know if, in this case, the attacking shark was killed or not, but I hope not. It won't bring David back and it won't stop future attacks.
There is controversy surrounding this attacj and I certainly don't mean to lessen the impact of Lillenfield's death. I'm just asking us to ignore the travesty accidentally perpetuated by Peter Benchley, Steven Spielberg and Jaws and remember that these are magnificent creatures who won't eat you if you don't go in the water, and who don't deserve to be killed if they act on instinct.
Hiya, Justin. I agree with you. There is no reason to randomly kill sharks just because one killed a surfer, and it was probably accidental since it is seal migration season in the Southern part of the world and the sharks are just doing what millions of years of evolution has taught them: kill to eat. Now, bears on the other hand...once they kill a human, there is no going back for them. Kinda like giving a little kid candy for the first time. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Terrye. I understand the arguments about killing animals so they don't kill again. I don't actually mind if they kill the shark in the act... at least then you know it's the right one. It's the random killing of "You got one of us, we're getting one you" that I have an issue with.
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