I knew nothing about sharks, maybe my understanding was like somebody else at first glance, they are dangerous animals due their size and force, still I never blame them nor thought they were bad animals as I always respect all species and know that we are all important here, every being have a role and required to keep a balance, so I never saw sharks as a monster that kill humans, beside what TV show us, still I was far from the reality…
One day I decided to order a stuffed shark, a gift to my girlfriend. And why a shark you may ask? Well, because I called myself a Shark when I was with her and always making fun with it. So, I was her “shark” and she became my “shark” too, then when we get away from each other she can have the shark as my representation to take care and not fell alone.
In the meantime, the shark arrives, I unpack and got something a bit different from photos, more like a small fishy spine, it was compressed and small, I admit that I expected better, still it’s a shark and would get the same love. I give it to her, she loved and call it Sharky.
Here’s the Sharky on arrival:
When we apart, she kept sending pictures with Sharky, either studying, watching movies or sleeping, she never left it and always take good care of it, as she said, the Sharky is my representation, so by taking good care of it, was somehow taking care of me...
I don’t know how, then overtime the Sharky started to reshape, gone from a small spine to a strong and robust shark with a sparking texture, that fin really starts to impress! I asked how? what you done? She replied: Nothing, I just give him love, and love makes everything stronger and more beautiful. That was a happy surprise and as time pass, we start to make a bound with that fin.
When we were together, she always brings the Sharky that stay with us, including in our expeditions, so that shark was a VIF already (Very Important Fin).
One day I decided to have my shark counterpart, a female shark as her representative, so we both would have a shark to fill a gap and build a history. Then I start searching for the perfect shark, I order the exact same model and size but in pink color. This time this shark arrives robust and a bit larger than the Sharky (As a woman representation you may know the problem here 😁). This shark I named Pinky have its own attributes but there’s no love like the first, still both got included on our expeditions with same love and care, we never left them. These sharks were not only our representation, they become something special in every way, a safe heven, just by look at them I get very relaxed, and stress goes away, they are just magical!
Meet Pinky:
She started an internship on a new location, temporary moved and of course she bring the Sharky to stay together. On the second month, she put the Sharky on the bag (while open) on the backs, and when moving from the car to the apartment an accident happen… She lost the Sharky on the street, somehow it jumps out of the bag and without any noise or warning she just enter home, left everything and start doing some stuff. She only noticed at night before bed, because both sleeps together, and the Sharky was no more on the bag. She starts to look everywhere at house, but is missing. Then she gets out in the middle of the night and replicated the steps back to car and while looking everywhere and asking nearby persons, but the Sharky was gone, no one was able to help and she even look inside garbage cans and ask to nearby buildings like restaurants if anyone see it. I wasn’t there, so she calls me, and when I answer the phone call she was in big panic and despair, crying for the first time (with me). I can’t understand what she was saying because of her panic, initially I thought myself: Some severe accident may happen, maybe with a car or family? I ask her to breath, calm down and try to talk with me. Then she told me: “I lost the Sharky” and started to cry loud again. I wasn’t expecting that, so I also get shocked and could not believe, but no way this can be a joke. I tried hard remain calm and strong, still broken from inside, I ask her to calm, and I made basic and logic questions, in an attempt to find it back, but of course she already attempts everything before call me. I told her to go sleep and tomorrow maybe with daylight she can find it, I was being optimistic to calm her but of course I had no believe in that, the more hours the less probable is to recover something.
In the next day she does, but as expected without any positive results, Sharky was really gone and we both were super sad. She knows how important that fin was to me, and she kept asking “I’m sorry”, also put in equation buy a new one, but that would not replace the Sharky and would always be something to remember us from this tragic event, plus the adventures we lived would be kind of forgotten and act as a new registry.
I could not conform with the fact of losing it, I thought: I must do something for him before stop and accept the fact I would never see it again, at least he will be proud of me by attempting and not quitting at first option! And so, I did… I prepared some posters, covers, tape, scissors, left everything and drive to her, of course the Pinky come with me but also as request as she miss the Sharky.
I arrived night and late, but I can’t just stand, so I take the time and started a group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SharkyDT) in an attempt to reach out the maximum people I can, boosting the post in the region, because someone might have grab and keep it, and if the person sees this, he/she might return it. My biggest fear was if someone just pick it up and thrown in the trash or just cut it and it will be gone for real, or simply someone that was passing by that is from other region and would never see my posts, just by thinking in that possibility it hurts and still does!
In the next day we start to stick the posters on the street, lamp posts, nearby the location, playgrounds, etc. Was not easy to miss that big A4 paper with something different from usual, so I always had my hope that someone will see it and try to contact us. But time was passing without results. The people on Facebook most were jokers and making fun on the fact we are looking for a missing “toy”, but what they don’t realize is that objects can also have a sentimental value and be very important to someone, even if a rock if that matter on your life, so I answer and counter many people and they start to realize this was no joke or test.
The odds were small from beginning, my hope fall down and I had to return home, I felt bad by not able to find it and of course even if someone see my appeal, they can just keep it and remain in silence. The Sharky is so cute that is impossible to not like that fin and keep it. Also returning requires extra effort from people, and these days people become more careless.
I got home sad and hopeless, she insisted that we have done everything we can for the Sharky and whatever he is, he will be very proud for that. And maybe someone is getting good care of it, just like us. I also said that he was a very curious Shark and took the opportunity to explore the world but he gets lost from us. None of this actually made me feel better in fact. That shark was my joy and will be forever in my mind.
Few days has passed, she was in the last day of the internship, ready to get back home, and then I got a message on Facebook via the group, someone saying that saw my post and it’s in possession of the Sharky. I couldn’t believe, maybe another joke… So, I requested a picture to confirm that statement. Then I got it, it is the Sharky! I exploded with happiness!
As she was still there I call immediately to talk about, and of course she was so happy too that she couldn’t believe it. I arranged the meeting to get the Sharky back, it was a children's institution, and in fact we were so near, meters away from the place we walk by! In the day of the loss a children saw it, rescued from the ground and kept it. Luckly a good worker saw it and contact me, we get it back on that same day, gave a donation for the two girls who have found it and a promise of a similar shark to become her shark. And so, I did, I order a new shark of same model and size and send it after a few days. The Sharky was recovered undamaged, but was a bit dirty from staying on floor, so he gets it first bath and recovers its shiny texture with grey and white colors! The Pinky was also very happy to get it shark mate back so they can play together once again and continue the tale together 🦈 Due the events this may not ended in a happy history but rather in a relief history with a happy ending.
Sharky after the recover:
Sharky and Pinky are inseparable, still thriving nowadays and I can’t imagine without them:
But this is not the end of the history...
I’m really good in my area, but I never fell or had an objective in my life, all my life I kept learning stuff and more we know more we see everything is pointless and a pain here, so I really didn’t care about me nor to what can happen to me, I was already dead from inside and lost! Then the Sharky found me and I found him, all this connection led me to start learning about these magnificent animals that I didn’t know about, so over the years I start to learn more and more about Sharks, I saw all documentaries I found, I searched information about their bodies on the internet, I brought a book, etc… As I go, I started to admire Sharks more and more, I was just fascinated. Now I just think, it’s impossible to not like them after you really know them, they are really special and awesome!
Sharks are here for much longer than us, dinosaurs and trees, in fact with about 450 million years they may be one of the oldest species here that survived all massive extinctions in that lifespan. With all this evolution time is impossible to not be special, they hold the best immunity system and their body is just perfect for the environment, the way they swim in water it’s just mesmerizing by how efficient they are. And just like other animals they have feelings, can fell pain, can have better and worse days, some learn faster than others, most are shy and they are self-aware. Also, they accept all animals nearby, including us, they are not territorial but very intelligent, they could be kings and reign, but they know ocean belongs to no one and everyone at same time, in this aspect they are much more intelligent than us.
Sharks are part of our life support, as they keep ocean healthy and balanced, so they have a very important role here, life can continue without us, but not without sharks, this show us how sharks are really important. Man thinks it’s superior over all in some way, I don’t believe in that, we all deserve same respect and, in the end, we are all equal being different.
What makes me so sad just like losing the Sharky, is what we are doing to these animals, it must be a privilege to be Shark, but in this world is a sad and not fair thing. Sharks kills about 8 to 10 humans in accident per year, while we are killing sharks at a stupid rate, at ±100 million per year and about 10% of remaining population, someday sharks will be gone forever. If we think in numbers, and as they are amazing evolutions that survived mass extinctions with ±450M years, yet they are barely surviving to us for 20 years, really, what is that sad reality!?
Away from everyone eyes there are crude practices of removing the fin while still alive (Finning) and discard the body into water, most die drown in agony, and while fin is removed, they can’t scream as they have no vocals, so it’s even worse as they suffer in silence away from all people eyes. Keep in mind fish are not painless, they have long and very sensitive organs with hundreds of times more sensitive than our senses, they react to pain!
But this is just the tip of iceberg, the finishing alone kills more sharks, and even if we never touch a shark, we are killing sharks by eating fish and pay taxes that goes into fisheries. The aggregation devices are wiping a ton of other animals just to catch one specie, that is not an accident as they call it “Bycath”, they know what species are near what so they already know the consequences beforehand. Not to tell the nets are harvesting ocean floor making a huge impact on balance and O2 production, plus killing other animals that get stuck on left behind nets. This is the biggest pollution nowadays and almost no one talks about it.
Fiction is fiction (period). The human stupidity run like possessed on the next day after "a" movie release to kill sharks because they are bad man eaters 🤦
There's no problem on fiction, but people must realise, it's fiction!
And this kind of stuff creates misinformation a real problems.
It might sound very cool to have a shark on your room, for sure your friends will praise you, but how about invert the pappers? Would you like it? Just think about... No friends, always the same space, chemicals and dirty water, lack of care, lonely and artificial life, what is cool about this? They have fellings too! No to tell most are abandoned/miscare once they grow.
I will never understand where is the honor on this, really, if you want to be the hero in your own village, take a photo in water with a living shark! A dead animal is not a funny thing! Plus sharks are always good looking and photogenic, no way to be ugly with them.
Sport finishing/hunting, killing animals for fun and sport should be a crime everywhere and abolished!
Finishing and catch sharks by accident is another problem, even when released they will get a hook stuck, they can fell pain! And it's not cool to have one stuck on thier mouth. And for how long!?
We kill sharks for health products (sorry, for stupidity), the most stupid part is that the products do not have benefits to us...
We are the real plague in this world, we will be our own cause of death and extinction. Most of our environmental problems can be solved by leave the ocean alone and not interfere with it. It’s not hard to recover but political and money interests will come first and ruin what we have best here.
Ocean is not our property, ocean belong to these marine animals, if we step inside is our problem not otherwise!
All we deserve, someday a superior race come here and do the same to us just because they can, wasting lifes without a good use. Even then, i still think we will never learn.
Today almost everything in my life is based on Sharks. I can tell you, even the shower curtains have cute shark drawings, but those have been since ever, much before I meet the sharks, so it was the faith already.
Sharky gave me a gift, a passion and the chance of knowing/learning about these animals. I never saw nor be with a real shark yet, but today I fight for them! I can’t just stand on my chair knowing and ignoring the facts, so I do what I can here, which is informing people about these amazing animals and what we are doing to them, I do complete sessions about sharks, the problems and possible solutions. I share the fin word. Most people don’t know about them nor the sad reality, and after they attend, I hope to change some minds, in fact the feedback has been positive and people start to look to these animals with other eyes. The misinformation and TV shows ruined the Shark reputation, education is essential to overcome this. Shark bodies and systems are so amazing that they should be in school lectures and books, we are skipping a real tressure and a lesson of life here.
Share your information about them with the people who you like to talk, even a small fact or a cool thing about sharks can make the difference, and really, after know sharks it’s really impossible to not like them, they have something special that catch our attention, I think we are hypnotized by the shape and fin…
If you not already, and have the time, do like me. We need more people sharing this with the world. We need help to save the sharks.
I highly recommend research and learning about these animals, even if lightly I can promise, it will worth the time. Plus, sharks can help you, I have no study on the matter, but I’m convinced that they can help fight stress on people with high efficiency, try to see a relaxing video about sharks, you will be amazed and in a great comfort feeling, they are really special! To see how amazing and mesmerizing they are, most people attacked by sharks will ask why and do some research on it, most of those persons are now the biggest shark defenders and supporters, it’s impossible to keep hate such animal and even that people will fall in love with sharks after know really them. Who knows, you may also get a stuffed shark to get you the same peace as it gives to me. But if you can, do shark diving to get the best experience in your life.
We need to leave ocean alone for effectively do that, the most efficient way is stop to eating fish which are already polluted and poisoned for our body.
This is the only way to end with finishing, if no interest in fish, no one will mass fishing, because everything is arround the evil money. And then ocean will explode once again full of life!
Protect species, areas, routes, population, protect the ocean are the another ways, but who cares? Where is money there are exploration.
Actually less than 1% of ocean is protected, what a shame! Our number 1 life support is the most neglected thing.
93% of the CO2 is stored in the ocean, and 85% of our breathing oxygen is produced in the ocean, so you see the importance here?
- The shark dancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFhAFGGLAs
- Petting Sharks like Dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vNkK80CXPA
- Diver Has Been Friends With Tiger Shark For 20 Years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYonjn1oYcQ
- Shark finning PT1 Partial Utilisation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0d3x35dAAQ
- Shark facts: https://www.sharkguardian.org/top-100-shark-facts
- Shark anatomy: https://www.sharksider.com/shark-anatomy
- Sea Shepherd – Protecting Marine Wild Life: https://seashepherd.org
- Stop Finning EU: https://www.stop-finning-eu.org
If you want to discuss and talk about sharks, I have created a forum which anyone can participate: https://github.com/sn4k3/Sharky/discussions
You can even share your own history.
