I have a personal and profound respect for sharks, phenomenal creatures that face an insurmountable struggle, largely due to misconceptions bred by popular culture. Blockbuster movies portray them as bloodthirsty man-eaters, a portrayal as incorrect as it is unjust. Let me set the record straight: sharks do not eat humans. Predators they are, but their hunting ground is not the human populace. It is the vast and teeming ocean where they principally feed on fish; it's their nature. Any inadvertent harm they inflict upon a human being is most likely a result of human error, brought on by fear-driven actions that can appear as predatory behavior to a shark.

The perpetuation of shark fear, centered in misconceptions, leads to horrifying consequences. Sharks are unnecessarily and brutally slaughtered--an act justified by an unfounded fear fueled by cinematic sensationalism. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has revealed that at least one quarter of the world's shark species are threatened with extinction directly because of such misguided fears, over fishing, and habitat loss.

Think about who the true "killers" in this scenario are when a creature is driven to the brink of extinction.

We need to rectify this ignorance-driven perception of sharks, and we demand immediate steps to protect these misunderstood creatures from senseless violence. Sharks deserve to live their lives unthreatened and free in their natural habitat, not to be preyed upon due to baseless fears. Their survival firmly depends on our understanding, empathy and action. Sharks are not our enemies; let's not be theirs. Sign this petition to combat the false portrayal of sharks in popular culture and put an end to their unwarranted slaughter.