By Mark Young, SouthFloridaReporter.com Managing Editor, Sept. 25, 2015 – When the movie “Jaws” hit the big screen in 1975 many people were freightened enough not to go swimming in the ocean, even if it was just a movie. With “Jaws 2” and “Jaws 3” we became fearless.
Now of course we have “Sharknado” week, while not my choice of TV, it is for my daughter and her boyfriend. Still not a reason to stay out of the ocean – until now!
Headlines screaming:
- Number of shark attacks is above average (USAToday July 2, 2015)
- Recent shark attacks up to 7 in the Carolinas (WashingtonPost June 29, 2015)
- Why are so many shark attacks happening? (BusinessInsider.com July 6, 2015)
- East Coast shark population tops 2800 (USAToday Sept. 9, 2015)
And there are many similar headlines. But the one that caught our eye – “More People Die from Selfies than Shark Attacks! Say what?
BY DANNY CLEMENS, DSCOVRD, Sept. 25, 2015 – Could it be more dangerous to be Kim Kardashian than Andy Casagrande? Probably not — but some interesting statistics beg to differ.
So far this year, Mashable counts 12 selfie-related deaths, the latest of which occurred when a 66-year-old tourist fell down the steps of the Taj Mahal as he attempted to snap a selfie.
Meanwhile, there have only been 8 reported shark-related fatalities in 2015. On average, only 6 people die each year following a shark encounter; choking, driving, bathing, and walking down the street are all more deadly than sharks, according to Buzzfeed.
Despite years of rhetoric painting sharks as indiscriminate killing machines, experts say that most shark encounters are actually a case of mistaken identity — not “a large monster intentionally and maliciously targeting humans.”
That being said, common sense is still important. Keep in mind that you’re a guest in the shark’s habitat, not the other way around. Earlier this summer, marine biologist Ralph Collier shared some simple advice for staying safe around sharks:
