Questions like this are why I posted this. I am expecting them, and this is why I helped set up the shark interaction program as an educational tool for the public to see first hand what sharks are really about.
It's only crazy if you believe what they tell you on shark week or other ratings grabbing media outlets. Sharks are not mindless killers, they are not over aggressive monsters of the marine world. Sharks are highly intelligent and many species are very social. These sharks are a great example of what most sharks really are. They willingly come in and are part of an operant conditioning program. Sharks bite out of fear as a last resort or when looking for food. These sharks are well aware of who feeds them and where they are fed. All five sharks in this programs are fed only on the white bench by a glove. They do not associate the brown benches or other people with food in any way shape or form. These sharks have all be hand raised since they were pups. They are also not going to look at humans as a food source. Nurse sharks feed on small crabs, shrimp, squid and small fish in the wild. Messing with something bigger than it is goes against the way a shark thinks.
As for the gator, my daughter was never in any harm, nor could she be in contact with the gator. The flower was given to the gator by husbandry staff on one side of the exhibit, and given the command (verbal and visual) to take it to the other side. Once the gator was there, she passed the flower (undamaged) through the opening to the staff (who then handed it to my daughter). She was not interacting directly with the gator.
