Photograph: Blue Wilderness
Tragedy
A tragedy for every genuine shark lover unfolded yesterday along the east coast of beautiful South Africa, the home of a vast array of magnificent animals. 14 tiger sharks were caught in a single shark net installation. World outrage has ensued, as these sharks are a protected species living in a protected area in a country which prides itself on being able to let tourists experience the Big “7″, which ironically includes sharks, the very species the government is slaughtering. To see 14 fully grown adults – including a couple of pregnant females – caught and killed in a single day is not only heartwrenching, it is a disaster for the local environment and tourist-based economy. Especially the loss of adult and reproducing female sharks can be a huge setback for the South African tiger shark population.
Ignorance
The tiger sharks died at the hands of the Kwazulu-Natal Sharks Board, a self-proclaimed service organization that says to protect swimmers, beach users and surfers against ‘dangerous’ sharks by erecting huge nets which indiscriminately kill many marine creatures (fish, sea turtles and sometimes even cetaceans) that are unlucky enough to be in the area. Wake up, the sea doesn’t belong to us but to all the creatures that are actually equipped to live their lives out in the vast blue wilderness. Nothing wrong with people using the oceans, but sharks have been roaming the seas for millions of years and play a vital role in maintaining the healthy balance that marine ecosystems need to thrive. And if you enter the realm of an apex predator, you have to accept the very small risk that accidents can sometimes happen. With the huge amounts of scientific information on our doorstep, the days of killing animals out of sheer ignorance and fear should really be over. Especially South Africa – a country whose environmental policies are fueled by booming eco-tourism – should be setting a precedence for the world. At a time when we are racing through our natural resources at unsustainable rates, destroying wild animals simply because we can, or because of irrational fears fueled by a blatant lack of knowledge, is simply no longer acceptable.
Source: Shark Angels
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