Due to hollywood movies about sharks many people think of them as predatory creatures that will hunt down humans due to be blood thirsty. On the contrary sharks, don’t even like eating humans. The blood of humans doesn’t taste the same as the food they actually eat which is why when a person is attacked it usually just one bite.

The hunter satisfies its voracious appetite with seals, fish and other animals found in the sea. To capture these animals it has developed the necessary qualities of speed, strength, agility and a mouth armed with many, many teeth. This is a prime reason we humans perceive them as so very frightening.

Sharks will mistake people more often as prey, when they are mimicking the prey’s behavior. When people are swimming far away from the shore, splashing around while on their surfboard waiting to catch that next big wave to ride, they are in the position to be mistaken for a seal who has been hurt. Even though the people may not have known it, it is no different that someone who decided to go for a swim and was dragged out to sea by the tide. It is just a matter of wrong time, wrong place, and doing the wrong thing.

Nevertheless, out of the millions of people who visit beaches each year, only about 12 are killed by sharks. Also, there are just about 90 shark attacks yearly, with many of them being just bumps or nudges, usually only leaving a bruise. Of course it is a tragedy whenever an accident occurs, but we must remember that these are accidents and not intentional actions on the part of sharks.

You know what’s about 10 times more dangerous to people than sharks? Falling coconuts. Really. Even the most aggressive of the sharks, the tiger shark and the great white shark, rarely attack humans. Heck, driving to the beach is far more dangerous as driving kills more than 40,000 people each year in the US alone.

Of course any victim of a shark attack deserves sympathy. But in the wake of a shark attack, pity the innocent sharks that will be killed because of fear, anger, or retaliation. A shark isn’t like a person; you can’t explain to it why it’s being punished. Our two options are to eradicate sharks completely or learn to coexist with them in peace. And trying to get rid of all sharks just won’t work.

The Hollywood image of sharks has scared many people, yet these creatures are not actually seeking out humans as prey. They usually eat fish, seals, and other sea creatures, and will only mistake people as prey when they are mimicking the prey’s behavior. Very few people get killed by these creatures each year and surprisingly, 10 times more injuries are caused by falling coconuts! The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive, but they infrequently attack humans. It is only human to feel compassion for those bitten by a shark; however we do need to learn to live alongside them.