[Coral-List] Shark Feeding Question

[David Obura]

Hi all,

general experience with feeding or attracting wild animals (which fish and sharks are) in Africa has been that the direct result of  increased human-animal interactions is precisely what you could predict. Where those animals are nice and cuddly, the interactions are probably beneficial (at least to humans). Where they are large or potentially dangerous (hippos, leopard, elephant, lion), then, surprise surprise, the number of harmful interactions on humans go up!! Where habitat loss also results in intensification of human-wildlife interactions you also see the same results, of greater harmful interactions to people, though hardly in proportion to the increase in harmful interactions for the animals. 

Finding published literature on this can be difficult (though I'm sure its extensive in terrestrial cases) because it is of course so emotive to us - but it is common sense. The micro-view of pro-feeders, centered around their own business opportunity or "I know my backyard" mentality should not be given excessive weight against what is common sense AND backed up by a mix of experience and data from the broader world out there!

My two cents, anyway,

David




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