It’s no secret that humans and sharks have a rocky relationship.
“Sharknado 3” comes out July 22, FYI. GIF from “Sharknado.”
While shark attacks do occur, they’re relatively uncommon. And sharks have more to fear from humans than we do from them. Still, it doesn’t stop most of us from fearing the worst.
Western Australia set up shark culls to trap and kill sharks as a way to protect swimmers, a practice many disagreed with.
Conservationists, animal rights activists, and even the Western Australia Environmental Protection Authority spoke out against the method, which involves trapping sharks and shooting anything over nine feet.
The Australian government backed down at first, but after recent attacks from great whites, they’re using the technique again.
172 sharks were killed in the latest round-up.
The sharks found an ally in Hannah Fraser, professional mermaid.
Here’s Hannah at work in the best cubicle of all time. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.
Hannah is a performer and environmentalist. She decided to use her talent and love of the sea to stick up for Australia’s sharks.
Hannah did what any self-identified mermaid would do: She danced with a tiger shark.
No, not like this:
All hail Left Shark. GIF from Super Bowl XLIX.
Like this:
And not just one tiger shark either. She danced with a whole swarm of them.
She called it a “performance protest,” and she accomplished the death-defying feat without a rope, shark cage, or oxygen tank.
The only things between Hannah and an untimely fate were a fabulous costume, which was painted to match the tiger shark’s markings, and a pair of lead boots.
She didn’t do it alone. Her team included Shawn Heinrichs, an Emmy-Award winning cinematographer, and leading shark scholar Jim Abernethy.
Even though Hannah and her team felt safe, working with sharks is not without risks.
Heinrichs wrote on YouTube, “There was no room for error, as one mistake could have resulted in severe injury or worse.” Despite the danger, Hannah and her team worked together to show the beauty and grace of these majestic animals.
Images by Shawn Heinrichs.
Hannah hopes to bring attention to the plight of sharks around the globe.
Killing sharks doesn’t make beaches safer, and it may disrupt the environment.
It’s important to look at the impact humans have on our oceans and work on finding solutions where humans and animals can peacefully coexist.
Check out Hannah’s jaw-dropping performance in the video below.
