Yesterday’s most ridiculous story made me ponder a long-standing bias I know I inherited from my father. The basics:
“A Canadian tourist trying to photograph a shark in shallow water at a beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands this month was bitten by the shark and lost both of her hands, officials said….The shark was about six feet long, according to the Turks and Caicos government, but its species was unclear. The tourist had “attempted to engage with the animal” in an effort to take pictures of it before she was bitten on Feb. 7, the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources in Turks and Caicos said in a statement.“
I have two instant reaction to tales like this. The first is, “What an idiot!” The second is to think of puns and mean jokes, in this case, “Let’s give this woman a hand!” I know it isn’t a kind reaction, or compassionate, or empathetic. On the other hand (there I go again!), if I lost my hands trying to take a photo of a live shark close enough to bite me, I would declare myself an idiot and be awash in shame and self-hate.
Last July I wrote about some guy who injured himself grievously after deliberately lighting a firecracker that he had placed on his head. My feelings about this woman (“She wanted to figure out how to take a photo of a shark, but was stumped!”) are exactly the same. I don’t like the fact that insurance premiums go up because companies have to pay health policies for people who do things like blowing their own heads up and playing with sharks.
I know it’s a bad side of my character. Still, does the Golden Rule apply when there is no way in hell you would do what you are supposed to be sympathetic to the “other” who has been hurt by doing it?
Oh…it doesn’t matter what the species of the shark that attacked the woman was. It was a shark.
She’s gonna need a bigger brain…
Ethics Alarms 
I, on the other hand, am gratified that she is not an American. We’re aren’t the only ones who make impulsive dunderheaded decisions.
President Clinton told us in the 90s that some people need a hand out, and some need a hand up. This tourist needs both.
I do not understand why people continue to engage with wild animals as though they’re pets. The adjective is right there…WILD. And it’s not that sharks are just wild. They’re an apex predator…they’re killers with absolutely no regard for human life. She is fortunate her loss was limited to her hands.
An anecdote I’ll relate to you. The caveat: the source is reliable, but I’m only repeating what I was told. Here goes:
A friend of my wife’s had a good friend (a woman) that owned a fairly large reticulated python as a pet. For some crazy reason, she let the python sleep with her. At some in the relationship, the woman noticed the python fully stretching itself out next to her and getting very stiff. After a couple nights, she got worried the snake was sick or dying, so she called a vet to ask about it. The vet told her she needed to euthanize the animal immediately. When the horrified woman asked why, the vet replied that the snake was sizing her up to see if she’d fit.
Yikes!
Very germane. If I read that a pet python swallowed a woman who let it sleep with her, I would not be able to manage any sympathy.
Sorry to be “that guy”, but this is an old urban legend. It was on Snopes back before they went political. If you think about it, how often would a snake actually get to measure its prey?
Ha!! I kind of wondered the same thing – how a snake “sized up” its victim in the wild – but I’m no snake guy. Well, it’s good to know the truth, and I’d be interested to know which party in my story chain read Snopes.
Since most people live away from wild animals and there’s been a concerted – albeit well-meaning – effort on the part of most animal advocacy organizations to encourage people to embrace animal life, we have been cushioned from the reality of wild animals.
The acculturation of constant photo-sharing on social media has had the unfortunate consequences of turning off people’s internal sense of fear. Like the fear of the Lord, this is not a phobia, but a healthy respect for the power of these animals and an acknowledgment of the risk one takes when engaging with them.
Bears can be cute. Bison can be noble. Sharks can be majestic. They are also dangerous. Leaving them alone is the best way to preserve them.
Excellent point. I’ll add one thing: I believe often times when wild animals have interaction with humans in places like national parks – even non-violent interaction – those animals are often killed. Animal conservationists do not want animals getting too accustomed to human interaction for exactly the reasons mentioned in the OP and the responses: wild animals can turn in a moment and become vicious.
So some stupid animal lover “that just wants a close-up of that cuddly bear cub” could end up costing that animal its life.
Sharks, fire, watefalls and other dangerous things. When we live sheltered safe lives we fail to learn about all of the dangerous properties that are used to make things safe or how to use them safely. When the most dangerous interaction we have is with our TV, we are surprised when we find that reality Bites. But, this is how society regains lost knowledge, the normal learning process.
I would like to know more about the species of shark and if there were any signs warning of shark dangers, not all sharks are dangerous.
Peggys Cove Nova Scotia regularly looses tourists to the waves and wet rock because people want a picture by the big crashing waves. It is difficult to believe how dangerous crashing waves are in slippery when wet rocks, especially for city dwelling tourists.
“not all sharks are dangerous.”
And not all guns are loaded, but the common sense safety rule is to assume that things that are often dangerous are until you have conclusiv evidence that they are not
I would go further and even approach guns from such a safety view that even dissassmbled guns should be regarded as loaded. But, how many Canadians have ever even seen a real gun? And didn’t climate change kill off the only northern danger – polar bears. Canada seems to me to be a really big underpopulated safe space.
Maybe they don’t have JAWS and Shark Week up there.
After JAWS, I have never felt comfortable in any water fresh, salt or swimming pool that I can’t see the bottom of.
I keep trying to imagine the OMG WTF just happened thoughts of regret, “I just wanted to take a selfie with the tiger shark. Now I don’t have hands?”
They think it was a Tiger Shark or Bull Shark because they tend to gravitate to shallow waters. It’s British territory so there may have been signs, but that doesn’t seem to be relevant here. She saw the shark and went out to take a picture with it while attempting to engage with it…no sign can prevent that kind of stupidity.
But, being Canadian, I’m sure she’s relieved that her fellow taxpayers will be on the hook for her treatment and prosthetics.
As a wildlife photographer for many years, I’ve seen some real two-footed dingbats in the human species. Some very basic rules…. #1 is if an animal changes its behavior when you are around, you are too close! #2 Know an animal’s habits and watch its body language. And, most importantly, keep your distance – never bait, beckon, or feed wildlife. It’s all common sense. If you don’t let wildlife be wild, you’re putting their lives and yours in danger. No photo is worth that.
People are especially stupid around Bison, though TIGERS are less forgiving!
MONEY QUOTE: Experts Warning-If Animals Are Taunted They May Strike Back
PWS
And on the eighth day God said “now take those wild animals I have created, get up close, and snap a selfie. They love that shit.”
ouch!!
jvv