Autumn is approaching in our hemisphere. In the forests around our city, the deer are in heat, and the stags can be seen fighting for dominance and the right to mate. It can be a dramatic but entertaining spectacle, provided you understand the need to keep a sensible distance from the animals at this time of year.

The locals who enjoy these forests, going for Sunday walks with family, jogging or bicycling along the many excellent trails, can continue doing so by simply letting the animals get on with their own business. Not that any sensible person would want to go near an agitated stag with big, pointy antlers.

But apparently, not everyone is sensible or educated about wild animals. Sadly, in an unprecedented move, wardens at one of the forest parks have been forced to close the park to the public until the mating season is over.

Some people failed to heed the warnings or were utterly clueless about the animals’ behaviour and body language. They got too close, probably to take a selfie or a video to post on TikTok and got into trouble. This kind of behaviour is also what got some people mauled by bison in US national parks.

Others contributed to the closure of parks by feeding the animals despite clear signs telling the public not to do so because it alters the animals’ natural behaviour.

There are always a few ignorant people out there who do things that ruin it for the rest of us. 

What does any of this have to do with diving, you may ask?

It is almost always for similar reasons that people get bitten or stung underwater. It should go without saying that you should not climb on a sleeping shark, tug its tail or otherwise provoke it. Yet, some contenders for the “Darwin Award” seem unable to resist the temptation. But ignorance can get you hurt or worse.

Sharks may not have furrowed brows to signal annoyance with your behaviour or presence, but they do display body language that you can interpret to some degree. For example, lowering the pectoral fins, hunching the back and moving quickly can indicate a dangerous mood.

We cannot know what goes on in the minds of sharks or any other marine creature, for that matter, but we do know that they are intelligent and sentient beings with individual personalities. We also know that they can feel pain and fear, and that they have physiological reactions to stress similar to our own.

The least we can do is err on the side of caution and assume that other beings would also be bothered or hurt by actions or circumstances that would make us uncomfortable. 

Leave even the smallest critter in peace and respect other life forms. Observe and enjoy from a respectful distance.

— Peter Symes,

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief