Cancel Shark Wranglers

  • by: Skyler Thomas
  • recipient: Dirk Hoogstra, SVP of Development and Programming for HISTORY

A televeison program is further threatening an endangered species for the sake of ratings while misleading the public in order to get away with their actions.

Previous filmings of the program (under other titles) have yielded disastrous results on the animals, but the public never hears about this.  Please read on to understand the true horror of this program. 

Shame on History Channel for airing “Shark Wranglers”.  This jeopardizes a protected species while endangering both people and the animals during the filming.  The show misleads the public with headlines such as “saving the shark from oblivion” when the complete opposite it closer to the truth.  This show is nothing more than an excuse to allow big game fishermen to do things to an endangered animal that would normally land someone in jail for the same actions.

In the History Channel’s advertisements of this program statements such as “No one else can” and “No one else will”, implying that these men are risking life and limb to save the shark, are complete and utter garbage and misinformation.  In reality there is no shortage of thrill-seekers and big game hunters who would love the opportunity to play with apex predators for a television program.  The truth is that no one else is allowed to do this because it’s against the law and the law is being manipulated and ignored for the sake of money and ratings.  Furthermore, no one in the scientific community other than those directly benefiting from publicity and monetary gain are in support of this program or is practices.  In fact, the scientific community is in an uproar, but their cries are falling on deaf ears.

Watching this show or any past seasons of the show (under different titles) is a visual nightmare showcasing footage of a majestic predator being tortured, damaged, mutilated, and driven to the point of near death over and over and over again.  The concept of “This is being done for the good of the sharks” pacifies the greater public at first glance, but upon inspection absolutely nothing about this show is benefitting the shark.  

There is NO CONSERVATION PLAN associated with this television show.  No parallel has been drawn between this show’s implied “research” and the shark’s future being brighter.  No outline of how the shark will be protected has been verbally stated much less documented and submitted.  No knowledge has been gained that will protect this animal and there is no explanation of how any gained knowledge (if any is gained) will help protect the shark.  Quite the opposite is true:

A tiny population of the few remaining white sharks is being targeted during key periods of its life cycle (feeding season).  The animal is hooked, dragged, hauled out of the ocean, mutilated, subjected to extensive trauma, then returned to the ocean.  In all the locations this show has been filmed the sharks in the area have been reported to disappear.  This means they were driven from their habitat at a time they should be feeding.  If that wasn’t enough,  they animals are physically damaged.  And to top it off, one was even killed while filming the very show that History Channel is showcasing.  Attempting to operate without the public’s knowledge in South Africa, local scientists finally succeeded in a commision of inquiry, during which it was revealed that a mortality was suffered to a white shark during the filming of the program.  Keep in mind, this is an endangered species.

A fatal attack on a human occurred in a location that has never recorded an attack before in history in South Africa while this show was being aired.  It just so happens that the film crew was chumming the water extensively in this area.  Coincidence? Maybe.  But this show was filmed without the public being notified.  The History Channel is stating that ratings are more important than the public’s safety or the survival of a species by continuing to back this program.

Please show the world that you know when to back away from a bad project by canceling this program immediately.

Thank you.
 

Shame on History Channel for airing “Shark Wranglers”.  This jeopardizes a protected species while endangering both people and the animals during the filming.  The show misleads the public with headlines such as “saving the shark from oblivion” when the complete opposite it closer to the truth.  This show is nothing more than an excuse to allow big game fishermen to do things to an endangered animal that would normally land someone in jail for the same actions.

In the History Channel’s advertisements of this program statements such as “No one else can” and “No one else will”, implying that these men are risking life and limb to save the shark, are complete and utter garbage and misinformation.  In reality there is no shortage of thrill-seekers and big game hunters who would love the opportunity to play with apex predators for a television program.  The truth is that no one else is allowed to do this because it’s against the law and the law is being manipulated and ignored for the sake of money and ratings.  Furthermore, no one in the scientific community other than those directly benefiting from publicity and monetary gain are in support of this program or is practices.  In fact, the scientific community is in an uproar, but their cries are falling on deaf ears.

Watching this show or any past seasons of the show (under different titles) is a visual nightmare showcasing footage of a majestic predator being tortured, damaged, mutilated, and driven to the point of near death over and over and over again.  The concept of “This is being done for the good of the sharks” pacifies the greater public at first glance, but upon inspection absolutely nothing about this show is benefitting the shark.  

There is NO CONSERVATION PLAN associated with this television show.  No parallel has been drawn between this show’s implied “research” and the shark’s future being brighter.  No outline of how the shark will be protected has been verbally stated much less documented and submitted.  No knowledge has been gained that will protect this animal and there is no explanation of how any gained knowledge (if any is gained) will help protect the shark.  Quite the opposite is true:

A tiny population of the few remaining white sharks is being targeted during key periods of its life cycle (feeding season).  The animal is hooked, dragged, hauled out of the ocean, mutilated, subjected to extensive trauma, then returned to the ocean.  In all the locations this show has been filmed the sharks in the area have been reported to disappear.  This means they were driven from their habitat at a time they should be feeding.  If that wasn’t enough,  they animals are physically damaged.  And to top it off, one was even killed while filming the very show that History Channel is showcasing.  Attempting to operate without the public’s knowledge in South Africa, local scientists finally succeeded in a commision of inquiry, during which it was revealed that a mortality was suffered to a white shark during the filming of the program.  Keep in mind, this is an endangered species.

A fatal attack on a human occurred in a location that has never recorded an attack before in history in South Africa while this show was being aired.  It just so happens that the film crew was chumming the water extensively in this area.  Coincidence? Maybe.  But this show was filmed without the public being notified.  The History Channel is stating that ratings are more important than the public’s safety or the survival of a species by continuing to back this program.

Please show the world that you know when to back away from a bad project by canceling this program immediately.

Thank you.

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