A man dragged a shark out of the water to take a selfish picture as Florida beach-goers watched and laughed. Wasn’t it already bad enough that a baby dolphin was killed earlier this month after beach-goers reportedly pulled it out of the water so people could take selfies with it? The sickening selfie trend with sea creatures continued on a Florida beach just a week after a video surfaced of a mob of tourists killing a baby dolphin for photos in Argentina.
The shark struggles for a few seconds by whipping back and forth until it stops moving and the wannabe shark hunter pins the fish down, then poses for a picture with a grin.
At least five people are taking photos of the animal abuse and laughing at the incident.
The upsetting video, which was taken on Palm Beach in Florida, has been viewed more than 370,000 times and has garnered hundreds of comments from disgusted Facebook users.
“It’s cruelty and the fact that ppl don’t respect sharks is shown everyday. Someday when the sharks are gone and we live on a horrible planet I want you to remember that cool pic,” one user wrote.
Another commented: “Respect animals and hopefully they wont turn against you. I wish this shark got a chance to give this guy a scare. What an idiot!”
And another: “How would he like to be gasping for air as people take pictures … Douche.”
The individual who captured the shark, Facebook user John Camp, has since responded to the outraged posts.“I do not regret my legal and ethical catch and release. What’s truly sad is so many human beings that wish harm on me based on a video clip which is intended to promote these reactions from its readers,” Mr Camp wrote, alongside a photo of himself taken with the shark.
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Unfortunately, these are not the only times where humans have risked the well-being of other species for the “thrill” of a selfie. Last year, Waterton Canyon, a recreation and hiking area in Denver, Colorado, was closed because too many hikers were trying to take selfies with bears. Wildlife authorities in the Lake Tahoe area, Yellowstone National Park and other recreation areas have repeatedly cautioned visitors against getting too close to bears, bison and other large animals.