Recently, there's been a lot of media coverage surrounding shark activity on the east coast. This past weekend two teenagers in North Carolina were separately attacked by a shark. Officials do not know for sure if the victims were attacked by the same shark, but agree that it's very likely. The teenagers each lost a limb due to the attacks. Officials say if it were not for the bystanders taking immediate action, the victims may not have survived.
Americans are obsessed with sharks. According to ABC News Americans have been obsessed with shark since the New Jersey shore attack in 1916, which killed 4 people in a 2 week span. In the 1970s we were introduced to JAWS and in 1988 the Discovery Channel launched premiered the first "Shark Week". In 2013, 30+ million people tuned in for "Shark Week". It was the biggest audience they've ever had!
It doesn't seem like much of a coincidence that the media has been focusing around sharks. They're building the viewers' anticipation for "Shark Week", which is set to air in July of this year.
Until then, check out this footage of a bunch of sharks feeding on the NC coast! Crazy!
Sources
Curry, C. (2014, August 11). 'Shark Week' to 'Sharknado': Why We're Obsessed With Sharks. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/jaws-sharknado-americas-obsession-sharks-growing/story?id=24927068
I posted on semi the same topic, but mine was questioning why they post all of the shark attack stories over the summer. It has always seemed silly to me that they do not post them year round because it makes it seem as if sharks only attack in the summer months which is very untrue. Always been strange as well that they are mentioned and brought to everyones attention in the prime tourism months.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post. I am a very big shark fan! The attacks are nothing less than a tragedy, but I always like to find the science behind it.
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