When We Anger Nature

“SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt - Egyptian authorities were Thursday racing to contain potential fallout from a spate of mysterious shark attacks that has threatened tourism in one of the country's main Red Sea resorts.

The attacks, which took place over a week culminating in a German tourist's death on Sunday days after three Russian holidaymakers and a Ukrainian were mauled, have mystified experts.

A ban on swimming and snorkelling slapped after Sunday's deadly attack in Sharm El Sheikh has been indefinitely extended, South Sinai Governor Mohammed Shosha said on Sunday.”-The Jordan Times.

The ban on swimming and snorkeling has left Sharm El Sheikh's shores lacking in visitors, which has raised concerns about the resorts' business in such an area which feeds on tourism money.

To be honest, after reading such news, tourism in the area was not my main concern. I actually had two ideas wandering in my mind at the sight of this news:

1)

What has caused the sharks to appear near the shore all of a sudden? There must have been something attractive to the sharks for them to move towards the shores and attack…

According to AFP, George Burgess, who heads the International Shark Attack File, reported that something must have altered the balance, and that it could be man-made or environmental. Mohammed Salem, director of South Sinai Conservation, explained that “man-made”-factors could mean that someone has accustomed sharks to being fed then stopped feeding them, consequently drawing them to a place of easy preys instead. Environmental changes could also be responsible for the feeding habits of those sharks. And if you ask me, I would say that even “environmental” changes should be cosidered man-made to some degree.

2)

“One shark which is believed to have attacked two swimmers last week was caught on Friday but the killer one responsible for the death of the German woman is still at large, officials say.”-The Jordan Times…

Now, I really hope that by “caught”, it is meant that the shark is taken to another place, a natural environment where it could eat, make babies, and live safely away from humans who are destroying its environment to selfishly increase their chances of “luxurious” living, without giving much thought to which ecosystems they are damaging.

shark captured jdH9E 19369

I really hope that I am mistaken, but this picture does not exactly show a shark that is ready to be transferred to another safe environment (I pray it is alive in the first place).

I am sorry for those who lost their lives on those shores, but I hope that this is a chance for us humans to think of all the damages we are causing the environment, and of all the negative ways we are touching the diverse eco-systems. It is important to remember that nature is stronger than us, and it always wins the fight.