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The thought of sharks conjures up images from Hollywood movies: predatory creatures, out for blood, deliberately hunting down unwary beachgoers. The thing is, they don't even like to eat people. Human blood doesn't get them going the way the blood of the stuff they actually eat does. And when they attack, it's usually just a single bite.

The hunter's diet is comprised of fish, seals, and other assorted sea creatures. We find them so terrifying in part because of the characteristics they've evolved to fit into their ecological niche: strength, agility, and an enormous number of teeth.

Frequently, what happens is that humans cause the sharks to attack by inadvertently copying natural animal activity. They swim way out in the ocean, paddling on their surf boards as they attempt to ride the crest of a great big wave. They don't realize that they seem just like injured seals to the sharks swimming nearby. The result is a very regrettable accident, like a swimmer getting sucked up in a fierce undertow. The people shouldn't be doing what they're doing where they're doing it.

Nevertheless, out of the millions of people who visit beaches each year, only about 12 are killed by sharks. Also, there are just about 90 shark attacks yearly, with many of them being just bumps or nudges, usually only leaving a bruise. Of course it is a tragedy whenever an accident occurs, but we must remember that these are accidents and not intentional actions on the part of sharks.

Did you know that falling coconuts are actually ten times more harmful to people than sharks? It is true! Even the most aggressive sharks, including the tiger shark and the great white shark, almost never attack people. Driving to the ocean can be more dangerous than a shark because 40,000 people die as a result of driving in the US every year.

So when a shark does bite a person, pity the victim their suffering. But also pity the hundreds of sharks that will be killed in the name of pointless retribution. Those animals don't understand why we're suddenly hunting them, they're not like people in that they can be told why they're being punished. The only choices we have are to kill them all or learn to coexist peacefully. And trying to do the former hasn't kept us safe.

The Hollywood image of sharks has scared many people, yet these creatures are not actually seeking out humans as prey. They usually eat fish, seals, and other sea creatures, and will only mistake people as prey when they are mimicking the prey's behavior. Very few people get killed by these creatures each year and surprisingly, 10 times more injuries are caused by falling coconuts! The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive, but they infrequently attack humans. It is only human to feel compassion for those bitten by a shark; however we do need to learn to live alongside them.