'Affectionate' tiger shark

http://www.aol.co.uk/article/2014/12/05/the-15ft-shark-who-loves-getting-chin-rubs-and-head-pats-like-a/21003435/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cuk%7Cdl19%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D313208

What do people think?

I'm not at all comfortable with this. For a start, what the diver and the article’s author are describing as ‘affectionate’ is actually just the result of a sensory overload due to the huge amount of receptors in the nose, which causes tonic immobility. The shark doesn’t roll its eyes back out of any pleasure; it’s a mechanism designed to protect the eyes during feeding. The fact that this diver is diving with sharks and is seemingly unaware of this state just baffles me. Although I suspect that he probably is aware of it and is exploiting the reaction for his own five minutes of fame.

Describing a shark as wanting affection and ‘cuddles’ is dangerous and will only encourage people to intrude further on sharks’ territory, seeking out their own ‘friendly’ shark. While I appreciate that the diver is trying to soften the shark’s reputation of being a man-eater, this is not the right way to go about it. Why can’t people just treat them according to what they are? They’re sharks, not humans. They don’t go out of their way to destroy mankind; nor do they go out of their way to seek hugs from mankind.

Ludicrous!

Sharks don't have 'feelings' and certainly don't want 'cuddles'!

The 15ft shark who loves getting chin rubs and head pats like a pup

Yeah ... till it bites someones face off and every tiger shark in a 50km radius is killed to make sure it doesn't happen again.

My opinion on sharks is simply this.... Sharks out rank humans!

I am so sick of people who take human values & apply them to sharks, etc! We live by human laws, they do not unless someone has informed them killing is wrong by our standards, that our standards are of a higher importance than either defending yourself or eating (survival) & has sharky signatures in triplicate. Sharks live in the sea (their turf) humans live on land. (More to say here for other land based killers but I'll move on).

This seems it will end badly for a human but I will say, & I have always said... if I get bitten by a shark I would not want anyone looking for a "rogue man eating" shark.

You know the risk when you get into their territory!  If you don't like the stakes.... Don't get in their yard!

tracyp wrote:You know the risk when you get into their territory!  If you don't like the stakes.... Don't get in their yard!

Absolutely - a shark is a perfect killing & eating machine. It has no instincts/feelings other than to kill, eat, mate, survive!

In the long run, I don't see how this diver's behaviour can be anything other than destructive. And to say that the shark remembers him from a time when he removed a fish hook from its mouth..? A shark's brain is not adapted to hold onto useless memories like that. Recent research has suggested that they have levels of intelligence far greater than previously thought, but they're not sentimental.

And as far as I'm concerned, deliberately inducing unnecessary tonic immobility to a shark, which needs to have a constant supply of oxygenated water passing over its gills in order to stay alive, is cruel.

*sigh*

Eleanor wrote:
And as far as I'm concerned, deliberately inducing unnecessary tonic immobility to a shark, which needs to have a constant supply of oxygenated water passing over its gills in order to stay alive, is cruel.

Good point!