14 DAY TRIAL // A wildlife documentary dubbed Lair of the Megashark aired on the Discovery Channel during last year's Shark Week. Now, a fairly shocking video revealing an incident that happened behind the scenes has emerged and gone viral.
The footage, available below, shows a great white shark attacking a small boat carrying two wildlife researchers and trying to bite into it, possibly even sink it.
Should you decide to check it out, which most of you probably will, be warned that the video is quite terrifying and definitely not for the faint of heart. Hence, viewer discretion is recommended.
The shark came close to sinking the boat
On the day of this shark attack, wildlife experts Jeff Kurr and Andy Casagrande, together with the rest of the crew working on the new documentary film, were studying great whites swimming off the coast of New Zealand.
When Jeff Kurr and Andy Casagrande tried to attach a camera to the dorsal fin of a massive great white measuring about 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) in length, the shark got a bit upset and attacked the boat carrying the researchers.
The 26-second behind-the-scenes clip that made it online just a few days ago shows the shark grabbing the rope holding the boat in place with its mouth and pulling it sideways. This causes the boat to start shaking and swaying.
At one point, the shark disappears. Moments later, however, it resurfaces and tries to bite into the bait attached to the main rig. Luckily, Jeff Kurr, Andy Casagrande and their boat all escape the encounter alive and well.
They had it coming, not-so-friendly voices say
Being attacked by a great white shark is without a doubt a terrifying experience. The thing is that, rather than show some compassion and sympathy, some say that Jeff Kurr and Andy Casagrande had it coming.
Thus, DM tells us that this footage was released by groups of people who want authorities to ban divers and wildlife researchers from feeding sharks on the grounds that this is causing the animals to associate human presence with food.
“When you start bringing the sharks in close to your boat for the thrill-seekers, like any animal their behavior becomes modified,” New Zealand MP Clayton Mitchell said in a recent statement.
Wildlife researchers and diving enthusiasts, on the other hand, argue that there is no evidence that feeding sharks every once in a while makes them think of humans as a food source and turn violent.
