An Australian man has been hailed a “hero” after repeatedly punching a shark until it released his wife’s leg.
And while I do agree that punching a 10-foot-long, great white shark to save his wife is a pretty gutsy thing to do, lesser known heroes such as I go unheralded and that has me sort of steamed.
My wife and I have swam together in many bodies of water over the years including the Atlantic Ocean, and my fearsome demeanour all by itself has kept every shark in the area from even approaching us, let alone attacking. Yes, I did no punching but punching isn’t needed when the sharks are too intimidated to come near.
But the puncher can have all the glory if he needs it. Personally, I like to keep a low profile.
Not to brag, but we have also strolled through forests without once having been attacked by wolves, cougars, coyotes, wild dogs, bobcats, snakes and bears. Never been bitten by a wolverine, a mongoose or a wildebeest. However, I did have a close encounter with a fearsome wild turkey in my backyard this summer but after taking one look at me as I was running full speed into the garage, he took off.
When the shark puncher can successfully deal with a wild turkey in his yard, I will be suitably impressed.
Australia has one of the world’s highest incidences of shark attacks and there have been five fatal ones in the country so far this year.
Another reason I think I deserve at least a little bit of credit for not moving to Australia and having no plans to ever do so.
©2020 Jim Hagarty
