113rd Street. The Anatomy of a Shark Bite

I have always been fascinated with sharks. The TRUE monsters of the ocean. Since my childhood they are living reminders of why I should not surf, dive or ever get caught in a situation that lands me in shark infested waters.

I am a lover of animals and I like to believe that in my category of animals, sharks should be included. I am personally against the eating of shark fins (though I must admit they are pretty tasty), for I think that it is undoubtedly cruel to remove the fins of a shark while it's still alive and toss the tortured struggling shark back into the ocean - where it spends it's last agonizing moments.

I have watched several documentaries to know that the evil side of sharks have been exaggerated by the media and the infamous "Jaws" by Steven Speilberg. Although the documentaries try to establish that sharks are aggressive only when they have too, that does not make me feel any less afraid of them. One notable documentary, one that I watched yesterday seems to reflect the greatest fear I have about sharks. The documentary's called "The Anatomy of A Shark Bite". The documentary relates how a marine biologist while filming a documentary with the famed Nigel Marvin about the harmlessness of sharks, ends up getting attacked by a Bull Shark. He lost his entire calf muscle as a result of the freak accident.

The sight of the the bleeding leg without the calf portion sends the reality of a shark bite back home.

Although the documentary aims to inform the viewers on how sophisticated a shark bite is, somehow, the only thing that remains is how formidable a shark bite is. It doesn't make me feel awed by sharks - it makes me fear them EVEN more! At the same time, I have nothing but respect for the Marine biologist, who dedicated his life to the study of sharks, and even the loss of a calf cannot dampen his passion to study them in full detail. How many people these days possess such passion for their occupation? I believe that there is a special connection between man and animal. Once the connection is made, nothing, even a life-threatening accident, can destroy it.

Considering this, is the human love for an animal then stronger than the human love for another human?