A bunch of pro-animal town criers flipped out this week after a scientist took a photo next to a dead shark that had washed up on a beach.
That's it. Just a photo next to a dead shark.
Here's what happened. Marine biologists were investigating a dead great white shark that washed up on a beach in California this week when one of them, Giancarlo Thomae, asked a female co-worker to lay down next to the shark so he could snap a photo and get a sense of how big the animal was while they waited for the proper measuring equipment to arrive on the scene. He said he was worried the tide would come in and wash the body away before scientists could get the information they were looking for.
So the woman did. She laid down next to a dead shark for scale, and her coworker snapped a photo. That’s all.
A local news station, intrigued by the story, then posted the photo to Facebook. And people lost their minds.
"This could not be more messed up ... A dead shark is not a photo op,” wrote one person.
“This was once a living being and it's just ok to lay next to it smiling? This is appalling aaaannnnnd i'm angry. Justice needs to be had,” read another comment.
“That photo is just creepy and disrespectful,” wrote one person. "Taking selfies really? Have some Effing RESPECT! Don't care if she's a 'scientist' it's tasteless," read another comment.
All for taking a photo with a dead shark. And not even a “selfie” – a photo that was taken for scientific purposes.
I’d be interested to know how many of these outraged shark defenders showed similar horror at footage released a couple years ago of abortionists laughing as they picked through the dismembered remains of aborted babies. Because those horrific videos came and went like a passing breeze.
But apparently, taking photos with sharks that died of natural causes is a bridge too far.