Please stop calling attacks by sharks "shark attacks," okay?
Scientists say the more accurate terminology is "shark encounter," thank you very much
The International Cabal of Sharks Scientists would very much prefer it if everyone could stop referring to those times when sharks attack people as “shark attacks.” Instead, The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that experts are now urging local government officials to begin employing terms like “bites” or “negative encounters” for future… uhh let’s see, how do we put this… toothy events given social research into how the public generally perceives and reacts to shark incidents.
According to shark researcher, Dr. Leonardo Guida, these proposed linguistic changes will have a genuine, noticeable impact, “because it helps dispel inherent assumptions that sharks are ravenous, mindless man-eating monsters.” Apparently, over a third of all shark encounters result in zero injuries, while many more only incur minor bites or wounds from instances like people “stepping on wobbegongs,” which sounds like an incredibly Australian thing to do.
