Since 1980, eleven twelve people have been strangled to death by pet Pythons in the United States. Today, a 12-foot albino Burmese Python strangled a 2-year-old girl to death in Sumter County, Florida. The owner of the Snake did not have a permit. Worse than the occasional freak accident involving pet Pythons, thousands of Pythons escape their untrained and unqualified owners and breed freely throughout Florida, ravaging local ecosystems and native species. Pythons eat Dogs, Cats, potentially endangered Birds, and even Alligators. While we know many responsible Snake owners, we do strongly suspect that many irresponsible owners of large predatory reptile species suffer from similar issues as do trophy hunters and monster truck enthusiasts--tiny pee pee syndrome and Daddy-touched-my-buttholitis.

Please jerks, stop introducing destructive non-native and invasive species into ecosystems.


--Ms Sharky

Justin Clarke blogs for examiner.com on libertarian issues. He seems very angry that some of us are concerned about dwindling Shark populations and are calling on government agencies to do their jobs and impose strict regulations. We understand that it is the nature of libertarians to oppose government regulation, but we find it hard to believe that most libertarians are as ignorant as Justin Clarke. Listen to this:

Excuse me? A conservation plan? Shouldn’t that read ‘extermination plan'? Let me be clear: I don’t know where these people are getting their numbers, but I think the desirable number of great white sharks is zero. Sharks are the ocean’s Nazis, indiscriminate murderers with black eyes and no souls. In a time of global recession, should we be worrying about sharks and setting money aside to make sure that sharks get a fair shake?

Where would someone get such a dangerously misguided view about Sharks? Oh, Justin tells us:

Sharks scare the hell out of me. I’ve watched enough Discovery Channel to know that sharks are pure killing machines that never sleep and have eyesight poor enough to equate a human with a sealion. They discriminate between the two by ‘test-biting’ which sounds ridiculously like ‘nibbling,’ instead of the far more accurate ‘biting to death.’

There you have it, proof that ignorant people are having their ignorance reinforced by the Discovery Channel's Shark Week pornography. It is useless to expect the Justin Clarke's of the world to speak truthfully and intelligently, but we suspect that the programmers at Discovery Networks should know a bit better. This is precisely why the programmers at Discovery Networks need to grow some ethics and ensure that their Shark Week shows show Sharks in a more responsible light. Because if they don't, there soon won't be enough Sharks left to put on film.

--Sharky

Taste of Chicago 2009 runs from June 26 to July 5. Humana Inc., a major HMO who is fighting to keep public health care off the table in order to maximize their profits, is also a major sponsor of Taste of Chicago 2009. What the hell is our problem with Humana? They published a public relations release that said it is healthy to eat Shark. What?

[source]

They release this load of crap the same week that major media outlets everywhere are announcing that one-third of all Shark species are in imminent danger of global extinction! And that is a conservative estimate. Let's just forget the environmental havoc caused by Shark-finning, habitat loss, and fishing pressures, Shark is one of the most mercury-laden commercially available foods. Humana is a self-styled health benefits company. Do you think you should trust a health insurance company that tells you to eat poison?

Please, if you are planning on attending the Taste of Chicago this year, eat up, but leave the Shark alone...especially if you are pregnant or plan on being pregnant.

Baked Shark Veracruz? WTF?

--Sharky

It is Shark Tournament season. This is recent video from the Sarasota Shark Tournament in May. Listen to what the jackass calls himself at the end of the video. This is what we are up against.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Bill Goldschmitt.

For extra laughs go to his website sharkmanofcortez.com, you "hippie fruitcakes."

--Sharky

The AP has published an article by Seth Borenstein with the evocative title: "Great white sharks hunt just like Hannibal Lecter."

The article simplifies dumbs down research done by Neil Hammerschlag and others on the predation methods of Great White Sharks on Seals. It isn't the information presented in the article or the research that is objectionable, but the language that is used. The comparison of Sharks to fictional serial killers is sensationalistic, slanderous, and just plain old sloppy writing. Listen:

The sharks had a distinct M.O.

They were focused. They stalked from a usual base of operations, 100 yards from their victims. It was close enough to see their prey, but not close enough to be seen and scare off their victims. They attacked when the lights were low. They liked their victims young and alone. They tried to attack when no other sharks were around to compete. They learned from previous kills.

[source]

Seals are not victims, they are prey. To call Seals victims is to imply that Sharks are inherently cruel and sadistic monsters just waiting to to kill your children and ruin your beach party. The article does go on to say that Sharks kill to eat and survive, not simply for "thrills." But, why make the connection between serial killers and Sharks in the first place then? This is Shark Porn. It is made in order to call attention to itself and boost ad revenue. It is irresponsible and reinforces negative stereotypes about wildlife. This is why thousands line up to trophy kill Sharks and then smile in front of bloody Shark corpses like they just did something worthwhile.

Sharks are not serial killers, people that hype them that way are,

--Sharky