Shark Alley - Welcome!

Hah - I'm a fan already!

No not because they mention the Fiji Shark feeding paper in their inaugural post but because they use words like malarkey and above all, because they already dare saying Fuck, and this expressis verbis!

Yes we got ourselves a new toothy Shark blog!

And if this is a taste of things to come, we're going to be in for a treat - to wit, their feisty disclaimer! Very nice - and incidentally, what a difference to the pompous ramblings of that bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard clowning around in the circular echo chamber of the Querulant!

Talking of which, the dipshits have gone underground!

I was about to pen a fitting! eulogy but was reminded of a recent missive by a reader that goes thusly

Oh, and let's not forget Facebook's very own evidence for the argument that evolution does not exist, the White Shark Interest Group - seriously, you could have an infinite amount of monkeys writing for an infinite amount of time, and they STILL wouldn't type anything nearly as self indulgent, mis-informed and fundamentally moronic as what they spew forth on a daily basis. 

Indeed - and good riddance!

And the Shark accident?

It was just that - an accident.

Reminds me of the brouhaha after the cage breach in Lupe and albeit being far less problematic, I concur with the observation that the apparent lack of concern by the operator is disappointing. The Shark will undoubtedly heal, much like they quasi miraculously heal after being grievously injured when mating.

But I'm digressing as always.

What I really wanted to say is, willkommen, bienvenue, welcome, im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!
Looking forward to many feisty posts and spirited debates!

PS: Facebook shark people are idiots - epic!

California's GWS - the Rebuttal!

Source - now comprehensively discredited, this is the paper that spawned the whole expensive fiasco.

Remember?

The Burgess paper is finally out - read it!
Good to observe how the man is morphing from token couch farting Sharxpert to real researcher!

And I cite.

"The listing of a species as 'endangered' places substantial demands on governments," Burgess said. "Listing species that are not under the threat of biological extinction diverts resources away from species genuinely at risk. 
We want to use our resources for the neediest species."

Exactly.

And thus endeth the ignominious conservation sham that has been the listing of the NE Pacific GWS poulation under ESA and CESA.

Kudos again to Michael Domeier.

He was the first to raise his voice in alarm (scroll down) years ago, for which he was severely criticized by the usual dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard. 

Now, he finds himself fully vindicated.

And the dipshits?
Riiiight.

Onward and Upward!

Click for detail!

 

We've just bid Isa Lei to some most excellent people.

And I cite,

I really must make a plan to get out to Fiji!!
Of course I would have to work on a scuba cert beforehand. :-)

Dive cert: easy, takes 4 days!
How can u b a shark biologist and deprive yerself of the opportunity to witness behavior first hand! Tellya what: if u make it over here I’ll throw in the cert FOC – because I can!

A dive course included!
Honestly, now I have no excuse not to come. Careful, I am one of those people who actually does take people up on their offers! I will have to take a look at my winter and see if I can get a few weeks in :-)

And she really is, and she really has - more than four years later!

I must say that I'm stoked as ever since those ignominious events back then in SA *, Michelle aka the infamous and very regretfully retired Megalobomb and I have been regular pen pals - and it was really high time that we finally meet in person.

Needless to say that it was very much worth the wait, and then some, as she is sharp and witty, and pretty, too, and generally a total pleasure to be with! She is now a newly minted Shark diver, and I have no doubt that this will have consequences - good ones for the Sharks and hopefully, renewed bad ones for the bullshitters, charlatans and media whores!

Anyway, can't wait to discover where her journey will lead her next - and yes, this is very much to be continued!

And then there were Elena and Daniel.

Remember?

Looks like our wish is about to come true!

She has persevered, and after literally years of searching, it really looks like the intrepid duo may have found a location where to set up camp and create an integrated Shark diving, research and conservation business that is  modeled after what we try to do here in Fiji. I'm obviously not at liberty of divulging any details quite yet - but it's gonna be brilliant so keep watching this space!

So godspeed my friends.

Here's to fair winds and following seas, and to many more epic Shark dives! 

* Having checked (which I now bitterly regret), the bloody Facebook group is alive and kicking, and even worse than before: still with its complement of pompous bloviating Sesselfurzer and dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard, thankfully sans the lying SVS but with the addition of such luminaries like Collier, and a gaggle of fawning desperate housewives = Dunning Kruger meet Idiocracy meet the bloody Dolphinization! 

Sigh - and lest you did wonder, all those years of pathetic chest thumping and verbal diarrhea have led to precisely zero new scientific insights, and to a grand total of zero Sharks being saved!
And so it goes!

 

Michelle!

Well, NOW we're talking!

This is as good as it gets.

We've been big fans of Michelle ever since noticing her gleeful deconstructing of the dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard, and I can only commend the Gills Club for having added her to the lineup of Shark Heroes.

Well done!

2013: the Bad and the Ugly!

Have you seen this shit?

Yes that would be the very same moronic website, and this is Brush.

Where to begin indeed!
This is the caliber of some of the self-appointed representatives of the global Shark conservation movement!
Compare that to this open letter by Kempster and those Shark researchers where FINALLY, somebody is starting to acknowledge that there is a real problem demanding real solutions that are more than the usual tired pro-Shark clap trap - and you may intuit why I despise that frothy solipsistic fringe of the movement nearly as much as that abomination that is the WA Shark cull!

So have you read those posts?

If not, do - they are here, here, here and here!

And more importantly - has anything really changed?

Not really - right?

And this is ultimately why!

And with that in mind, I'm not really gonna bother.

I've already said what I wanted to say ad nauseam, and will continue to do so whenever I discern a particularly egregious occurrence - but I've come to the conclusion that those yearly rants are pretty much useless.

Here's another excerpt I love.
I'm obviously 100% with Kyle!

And globally it's likely as bad - or even worse!

That's the audience those people play to, and whom they target with their various cons - and not only is there zero improvement in sight but things are continuing to get worse! Case in point: the Dolphinization of the Shark Conservation Movement has already spawned what a pal has dubbed the Unicornization, to wit.

Barf... Source. # mermaidwarriors huh...

Sigh...

So here's how we're gonna play this.
This time, you do the heavy lifting.
Everything, and then some, is already in the blog - so go and read it!

The blog offers two search functions - so if e.g., you wish to inform (!) yourselves about the world's foremost Sharkitarian visionary, or whatever, you can type his name into the search box in the top left-hand corner and then sort by relevance or by date; or, you may sometimes get a slightly different result by searching by label.

Same-same for e.g

• the Jersey girl's fake research institute with its remarkable prez and its complement of charlatans and pompous Sesselfurzers!


• Or Fischer vs the frothy anti-OCEARCH extremists inclusive of the fiery SvS, the bloviating fireman and all the various other dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard!


• Or Andersen with her pathetic retinue of sycophants and media whores - or talking of which, ABC4, Gurney and Shark porn!


• Or the various out-of-cage shenanigans in Lupe, from Amos to the perception-changing (read!)  Shark riding bimbettes all the way to the f@$%ing mermaid. Good that others are noticing, too!


• Or here are some industry thoughts - rants and otherwise!


• Shark-repelling wetsuits anybody?

And-so-on and-so-forth!
Notice the overlaps - and I cite, again.

It stopped actually being "about sharks" a long time ago.
It's about the individual and what the sharks as a vehicle to notoriety can do for them.

And for the masochists among you - I'm slowly WTF-ing my rants!

Surprisingly, they don't amount to more than a paltry 10% of this interminable opus - but they sure generate the overwhelming majority of the page views!
So here they are for your perusal and I discover, delectation - or for rekindling the various grudges!

Enjoy!

A Shark Cull in Reunion?

Source.
 

Spoiler: not quite yet!

I'm sure you've seen the news - if not, read this.

Kelly Slater had an emotional outburst, and the usual dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard have gone ballistic as they always do.
A prominent researcher writes - and no, no names but you'd be gobsmacked if I told you who she is!

This week Kelly Slater (surfer) posted on instagram that he thinks Reunion should implement a cull so that it is safe to go in the water again. As expected, he took some heavy hits from a lot of people for saying that.
And then this article comes out.

I'm starting to get a bit cranky on how "science" is used to beat down anyone that suggests a shark cull. Over and over "experts" and "science" are cited to drive home the argument that culls don't work...scientists have proven them not to work. 

I have to call BS on that. 
No one has ever done a controlled study to determine if culls work/don't work. And even if they did, each species and location are different. And then you have the hypocrisy of the shark conservation community always screaming about the 100-200 million sharks killed per year and that they are all going to die (and the oceans are going to die and we will die). If it is impossible for culling (fishing) to decrease shark attacks, then how is it possible for overfishing to bring down shark populations?

It's very easy for people who don't live in an area with shark problems, or don't ever go into the ocean, to scream and yell that sharks live in the ocean and it is not "our" place to attempt to manage them. Of course they are typing this from a comfortable human dwelling that required the killing of a terrestrial community that lived where their house now sits!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating managers to start putting culls in their toolbox...I just don't like the misleading rhetoric. At a place like Reunion, I think it is none of my business if the local authorities decided to try to reduce the bull shark population. It is their economy and quality of life that is suffering, not mine. It's their decision.
And...if they decided to do it, I personally believe it would work.

I almost wrote a piece about this, but thought maybe venting here first will keep me from committing professional suicide! 

Bingo - totally agree, see here and generally, here!

The good news being that Reunion Island's Shark attack mitigation measures appear to be holding (= the attack happened on a closed beach) and that the authorities are not advocating any cull - for now!

Anyway, this is not what riles me.

What does, is that like the lady above, an increasing number of researchers are voluntarily muzzling themselves for fear of incurring the wrath of the wailing Shark conservation hyenas.
This is especially evident in Australia where those Shark attacks are happening at the intersection of there being ever more aquatic recreationists but also more large GWS due to the successful protection of both the Sharks and their prey. Same-same for the US East Coast where IMO a fatal attack is all-but-inevitable - yet in both locations, the GWS researchers are treading very lightly indeed, lest the unwashed masses accuse them of being Shark haters, or whatever.

I say, this is not going away but will escalate instead.
And unless we allow the researchers to do their job and analyze, and then properly describe ALL aspects of the problem and explore ALL possible solutions, the strikes will continue to happen - and if so, the culling will eventually resume everywhere.

Is that what we want?

PS - not bad at all!
 

 

Guadalupe Great Whites - Paper!

Location data for the four satellite-linked radio-telemetry-tagged female white sharks during the pupping phase.

Epic!

Read the paper!

No I'm not going to write a synopsis as it is open access, short, incredibly interesting and informative, and crystal clear insofar as it does not contain any obscure scientific lingo - and anybody ever wanting to talk about Great Whites needs to have read it!
Yes, female GWS follow a two-year breeding and migration cycle, something no PAT tag has ever been able to document!

And, there is this.

Jorgensen et al. have proposed an alternative life-history hypothesis that is contradictory to the hypothesis proposed by Domeier. The major difference between these hypotheses pertains to the timing and location of mating. Jorgensen et al. speculated that white sharks are mating during their offshore phase, whereas Domeier proposed that mating occurs during seasonal, near-shore, adult aggregations...

The offshore-mating hypothesis is based upon the conjecture that a described vertical-diving pattern (rapid oscillatory diving (ROD)) is a result of a lek-like mating behavior in the core of the SOFA. This interpretation is problematic from several perspectives. Lek-like mating systems involve the gathering of males at a traditional site for the purpose of ritualized courtship display. The males compete for the attention of females, and in turn, the females select a specific male for mating. Although the peak in ROD behavior, and thus presumed offshore mating, occurs during June/July in a period when the distribution of males temporarily constricts, even the constricted offshore space is vast (estimated to be about 64,000 km²). Lek-like mating would require the males to be in a very small space to allow females to observe the courtship of several males at once. No electronic-tag data have ever indicated that sharks are densely populating a small, traditional offshore site. Lek-like mating systems have been described for some species of fish, but leks have never been seen among elasmobranchs. Females that mate in lek systems select a single male deemed superior to other males, thus the fact that white-shark pups from a single litter tested positive for multiple paternity argues against lek-like mating for this species. 

It is challenging to ascribe any behavior to vertical movement data in the absence of visual observations. The seasonal constriction of the SOFA and the ROD-type diving pattern could be due to the pursuit of a seasonally available prey. An expedition to this region during the constriction identified the presence of three species of spawning squid and sperm whales, but again, the absence of behavioral observations deems it impractical to assign any cause to the ROD diving pattern. Diving patterns and mating systems aside, there are other strong arguments against the hypothesis that white sharks are mating during the offshore phase of their migratory pattern. First, electronic-tag data indicate that males and females are largely segregated during the offshore period, and second, the proposed mating during June/July would equate to December/January pupping (accepting the 18-month gestation estimate). Females arrive at adult aggregation sites approximately in September, and depart in December to end of February. No YOY have been seen at the adult aggregation sites, no obviously pregnant females have been sighted at GI, and pupping is known to occur approximately April through July.

Bingo!

I really had to laugh out loud - remember?

Basically exactly what i said - which begs the question, does the man read my posts? What I did not know was the fact about multiple paternity - the exact opposite of what would be expected in lek mating!

Eat that, Sal!

Anyway.

Bravo Michael Domeier and Nicole Nasby-Lucas - this is truly seminal stuff. And, thank you for the chapter about conservation concerns! 

And I repeat: read it!

And now, watch this.

Right.

Looks like the bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard has spawned a dipshit with an opinion and a camera who is now publicly spouting the usual moronic rubbish all the way to having the audacity to post that picture of Junior! 

All so pathetically SvS.

But fear not, I'm not gonna dwell on the latter. 

As per Patric's update and after now many weeks of him having produced zero, zilch, nana da nada evidence for his assertions, I'm done with the man and his verbose excretions!

Anyway.

Does that mean that I now endorse SPOT tags?

It depends!

Research does not consist in slapping on some tags in order to then look at what happens - the scientific method demands that one formulate a (plausible - see the lekking fiasco!) hypothesis and then test it, for which one needs to employ the adequate tools.

So IF the hypothesis requires gathering multi-year data about a species that conducts large migrations and IF the animal comes to the surface frequently which is necessary for up-linking to the satellite, and IF the questions being asked are important, then I absolutely support deploying SPOT tags!

As I said here, research about philopatry is vitally important for conservation purposes!

Example?

The GWS that aggregate and regale the cage divers at the Neptunes are likely to be among the very same animals that munch on unsuspecting aquatic recreationists in Western Australia, quite possibly in tandem with GWS that travel there from SA.

Both hypotheses have already been validated by PAT tagging tracks, and possibly even via acoustic tagging - but we still don't have the full picture insofar as we don't know where they mate, where they pup (or do we?) and why, exactly, they and some of the SA GWS travel to WA.

That is simply vital information if we ever want to understand and then address and manage the mess in WA and protect those Sharks - and of course the people!

And how would one go about in gathering that info?

Assuming (which is not a given!) that the females of that Australian population follow the same 2-year cycle as those from Guadalupe, then SPOT tags would be the ideal tool, vastly superior to PAT tags that do not have that longevity! The ideal tagging location would be the Neptunes where the Sharks aggregate, and the operators there should really consider inviting a knowledgeable GWS researcher - out of intellectual curiosity but also very much in order to safeguard their assets!

But not Fischer's wandering circus!

I dislike the man but that's obviously not the issue.

The issue is that by today's standards, his methods are unnecessarily invasive. Domeier has proven that very large GWS can be caught and then tagged whist submerged; and he has also developed a cradle for the tags whereby there is only one single attachment bolt, thus greatly reducing the risk of fin damage. 

Is that perfect?

Certainly not - but it's a great improvement and in view of the importance of finally gathering the necessary information about that population, I for one could personally live with some possibly warped or shredded fins. But I would not publish any tracks - at least not at this time of public pressure and according political brinkmanship in WA. Imagine the fiasco of showcasing the Sharks' real-time location, only to have one executed by some overly zealous government bureaucrat - highly unlikely but why take that risk!

But I'm digressing as always.

All I really wanted to say is, epic and congrats!

Read the paper!

GWS Diving - Infographic!

Still my favorite Shark cage pic! Source.

Just got the following.

Dear DaShark

Shark Cage Diving is fast becoming the number one Extreme Travel Adventure and most talked about outdoor experience, and South Africa the best place to do it.
As a result, Marine Dynamics would like to share this awesome Infographic ‘The Great White Shark Cage Diving Hotspots of the world’ as well as a once in a life time opportunity. The infographic shows the few places in the world where people can safely shark cage dive with great whites. It includes a competition with a prize to the value of R25 000 (US$ 3400) and the possibility to enjoy a ‘Luxury Shark Cage Diving Adventure’ in sunny South Africa.
And-so-on-and-so-forth...

It's obviously a marketing gig for Marine Dynamics.
Now, were I to go GW cage diving, I'd go to Lupe - this because of the viz, because of the cool cages all the way to the SPSC and because I got friends operating there. But I'm posting this anyway, because the graphic is cool, because MD supports the excellent Dyer Island Conservation Trust but above all, because MD employs Michelle Wcisel who has impressed me by taking on the dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard!

You can click on the graphic to view the animated version.
Enjoy!

Dyer Island Conservation Trust - brilliant Outreach!

Check out this short documentary!

Great job!

I've been quite a fan of Michelle Wcisel and by extension, of the DICT and Marine Dynamics ever since discovering her comments on that moronic GWS FB page where she took it onto herself to gleefully and charmingly deconstruct the brain dead musings of the bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard and of the dottor dala Pavesi.

But I'm digressing as usual.
This is as good as it gets and I invite you to take the time and really have a look at the brilliant work by the DICT, and to peruse her GW blog there. Incidentally, one post links to the infamous Ocearch tracker page and although I remain concerned about publishing those tracks, I must say that I'm never the less quite impressed by the technical aspects.
And the plug for Volkswagen? I say, good on them for having landed a corporate sponsor away from the usual NGO funding sources!

My only grievance?
No teeth, blood and gore and above all, no bikini bimbettes!
Shocking!

Very much looking forward to many more such productions as announced here!
Kudos!

South Africa - Great White Research and other Stuff!

No this time I'm not going to rant.
But I could!

I could rant about some disgruntled GW cage operators.
I could state that they didn't quite have the guts to openly take on Mr. Fischer & Mr. Boyd and that they have instead enlisted the help of some local Kraut who has quickly morphed into a monster, true to the meaning that Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. I could also speculate that apart from having the usual inflated opinion of self, the guy may suffer from a medical condition called, obviously only in German, Querulantenwahn.

Be it as it may, several open letters and public warnings later, the genie is now out of the bag.
Prompted by the dire warnings of the Querulant and by a totally unrelated Shark strike, the surfers and water recreationists have latched on to the issue of chumming (debunked here) and I wish the cage operators the best of luck. Were I so inclined, I could state that they they will now reap what they have sown, that justifying baited Shark dives smack in front of a major town was always a stretch and that the delicate balance has now been irrevocably upset. Talk about having shot themselves in the foot!
But fear not, I shall not do that!

I could also rant about the couch farting fireman.
I could tell you he has been described to me as somebody who has done a Shark dive and now thinks he knows something about something, that his two brain dead petitions have achieved precisely zero as anticipated, and that he has gone as far as to accuse Fischer of having caused the death of several Sharks 1,500 miles away. Wow!
And I could mention the proud rolling out of his ludicrous Hartzell tag, to be placed with a pole into the center of the dorsal fin that will be inevitably shredded as soon as the gizmo will start collecting flotsam like any other trolling lure.
And it got a GPS antenna no less - I mean, seriously!
But I shall not - tho I'm still holding my sides!

And what about that Facebook group.
I could tell you how several of us blue bloggers were initially intrigued, only to be quickly dismayed by the rubbish posted there, and have stopped bothering. I could also elaborate why I believe that it represents the very worst of social media and that I consider it to be nothing more than the appalling circular echo chamber of, to cite a friend, a bunch of dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard, among which even a barlafüs da Milan who vocally demonstrates his utter scientific ignorance and lack of decorum by publicly rubbishing his peers. Soci, ma indova ta l'é truvad al tó dottor: alla Pavesi?
Notable exception: Michelle Wcisel who has taken it onto herself to gleefully, and charmingly deconstruct the deluge of stupidities posted there. Were I so inclined, I would tell her not to waste her time by engaging with morons and instead devote her energy to further researching and protecting Sharks, that Einstein was correct and that stupidity cannot be cured. PS: it sure looks like she has come to the same conclusions - kudos! :)
But as I said, I shall not do that.

Fischer?
I really got nothing to add there - maybe apart from the fact that I could wonder about the exact relationship between the non-for-profit OCEARCH and the for-profit Fischer Productions, and about possible US tax implications of that synergy. And I could state that I don't believe for a minute that OCEARCH will fund the next five years of GW research in SA.
But again, I shall not - and we shall see!

Leaves the local research community, and the authorities.
I could talk about the utter fiasco in terms of outreach, this by the authorities but especially, by Alison Kock and Shark Spotters. They had obviously known about the project for months and were ideally suited for engaging and informing the public about the unequivocal advantages of researching the philopatry of the South African GWs, for conservation but especially in terms of improving public safety. I could add that enlightened opinion pieces are great - but that it is more important to walk one's talk!

But I shall do none of that.
All I shall do is to invite you to read this interview with the concerned researchers. Without in any way wanting to approve of the way this has been handled, it addresses and convincingly rebuts many of the raised arguments and it finally sheds a light on the research aims.

Still, for my liking, this remains too vague.
Scientific research does not consist in slapping on some tags in order to then "see what happens". Especially in this specific case where the protocols, albeit substantially improved, are still highly invasive, it behooves the researchers to be much more specific and to explain which previously formulated hypotheses are being tested, and why the chosen invasive methods are best for achieving those specific aims.

Concerning the posting of the tracks.
There is clearly a downside to publicizing that information without simultaneously enacting supporting conservation measures. This is part of a larger ethical debate I shall be posting about soon. *Doch doch Dirk, auch ein blindes Huhn... :)

And here endeth the non-rant!

Comments policy.
This is not a chatroom.
But everybody is welcome to post a comment - this once and within the length limits dictated by Blogger, after which I shall feel free to delete whatever I wish.

* PS: post about philopatry, tracks etc here.

Is Sean van Sommeran a Coward and a Liar?

Would this man ever lie? Source.

You be the judge of that!

Remember the Junior controversy?

If not and if you want to waste a lot of time, you can re-read plenty of posts on the subject and above all, a lot of breathy comments by Sean van Sommeran here, starting from the oldest post.
In brief, an anonymous whistle-blower called ecoshark leaked a few pictures of a mutilated GWS claiming that the wounds were the result of the research by Michael Domeier. It was later revealed that the injuries had been inflicted by other Sharks and that this was a smear campaign by competing researchers against Michael Domeier aimed at evicting him from their research site at the Farallones.

The following is from the comments thread of a then post on SFS

Michael Domeier says:
May 6, 2011 at 12:57 pm 
I think Greg asks a reasonable question, Sean. Are you the source of the original Junior photos?

Sean R. Van Sommeran says:
May 6, 2011 at 4:24
I did not leak the footage, footage like that is made available as a matter of course anyway…. so why is it being characterized as a malicious leak anyway? …
I havent the vaguest idea whose ecoshark link that is and have no comments on that.

Michael Domeier says:
May 6, 2011 at 5:16 pm
OK Sean. Fair question and fair answer. Thanks for answering.

Now, times have apparently changed.
What was then (and still is) a grave and cowardly breach of fair play and collegiality may now confer hero status, at least among a particular frothy subsection of the Shark movement.
Be it as it may: the rabid anti-OCEARCH dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard are busy cobbling together a film, no less - and SvS has now found it fit to post the following on one of their circular echo chambers.

Sean R. van Sommeran --
We stopped Ocearch at the Farallones ( Pelagic Shark Research Foundation), the resulting scandal that we exposed and documented (shared documentation/videos, stills, etc) fractured the Ocearch and Domeier cartel's incursion into California and its well known 'Sanctuary' Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary) that granted the permits for the hook and line method.

It was PSRF conservation workers, working discretely with fellow TOPP field researchers (only 3 out of the whole lot) that leaked images and video stills and background story (shark named Junior) during the disastrous Ocearch/Domeier expedition into California and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in 2009/10. 

We Pelagic Shark Research Foundation) were the only TOPP members (field researcher) who disobeyed orders and publicly commented on the matter, we were of course sanctioned thereafter... Duty before dogma ~ 

Bingo

As I said, you be the judge of that.

David- Flow Chart!!

And talking of which.

This could not have come soon enough.
And it is certainly applicable to writing articles and blog posts etc, too!

Bravo David - love it!
Here's to the dipshits with an opinion and a keyboard heeding the advice!

Big Sharks scavenging - Video!

Wow - watch.

What can I say.

When the video came out in August and the usual dipshits started using it as "proof" that Sharks are harmless, I decided to look the other way; but now it turns out that one of those dudes is none other than my pal Allen who managed to overcome his angst and reluctantly hop into the fray. In case you wondered, I would never ever ever ever!

Ils sont fous, ces  Sudafricains - as in batshit crazy! :)

Plus, there is that Bull Shark, see Allen's pic at top.

You can check her out at 0:04 and she sure does not look good!

Over here, such an emaciated, wrinkly animal is usually either sick and/or very old - or more rarely, simply famished after having gone walkabout during the pupping and mating season whereby it usually manages to bulk back up in no time at all.

Anyway, this is pretty epic.

Allen tells me of multiple GWS, a dozen plus Tigers, plus Bulls, Duskies and Blacktips all feeding simultaneously which is in itself totally spectacular. Maybe I haven't been paying attention - but I was under the impression that the only two species reported to scavenge on Cetaceans are GWS and Tigers, and stand accordingly corrected. This sure raises all sorts of interesting questions about inter-specific competition and dominance, etc., and would certainly be great science fodder - any takers?

So congrats buddy, it must have been awesome!

And no - do not try this at home!