Most people on this vast planet of ours, have Selachophobia - which is the fear of sharks. A baby is not born afraid of water, or afraid of a dog, even fearing a shark. These ideas are planted into our brains, either through social media, other humans we interact with or on the television.
People say that sharks eat humans - Well that is a lie. Why you ask? Read more to find out the truth...
Why Sharks Attack Humans
Sharks are shy animals. I know it's quite difficult imagining such an incredibly dangerous looking animal being shy. Just like any other animal, they fear us more than we fear them.
Sharks attack mostly because they mistake us for potential prey. Humans splashing in the water interpret seals, which are a shark's favorite meal. Once a shark recognizes its mistake, it will most probably release and swim away.
Here is why surfers look like prey to a shark. It is only mistaken identity,
The time sharks 'killed' people, was when they bit and the human bled out or some reason as so.
Sharks are attacking more lately, especially in the Bahamas. And it's all our own fault...
With the various cruise ships leading to the Bahamas, the sharks are attracted to the loads of trash the ships dump as they make their way to the destination.
Another big reason for the increase in attacks is that the sharks get 'easy meals' from the restaurants as tourist attraction whilst feeding the sharks.
To avoid being tasted by sharks wear swimming clothes which fit in the their environment, that way they won't be curios to taste whether you're potential prey or not. Sharks naturally avoid stripes as poisonous snakes have them.
Why we should protect sharks, not kill
We as humans definitely overestimate a sharks willingness to kill humans. A cow kills more people annually than a 'veracious shark'. What does that tell you?
Sharks are endangered at this point in time. Over a million sharks are killed yearly. A popular dish is seen as a sign of wealth in China and millions of sharks are being killed for it. The fins don't even have taste, it just adds texture. That is not a good enough reason to kill sharks!
One shark fin sells for about $650 USD/kg. A whale shark pectoral fin goes for approximately $20 000 USD.
