Keith Poe hand-feeds a mako shark like it’s a Yorkie nibbling on biscuits in a video he posted this week on YouTube.
Poe, who reportedly has tagged more than 5,000 sharks off California, says he uses the feeding as a way of calming the sharks before he tags them.
The filmed encounter, which Poe also set to Somewhere Over the Rainbow performed by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole on Facebook, took place off Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County.
“This was the result of my hand feeding her for hours, calming her down and getting to know each other for the capture and tagging that was come,” Poe told For the Win. “I am trying to minimise the capture shock.”
“For me, it’s all about being minimally invasive and I take it very seriously.”
Poe has been tagging and releasing sharks for research since the mid-1990s, according to his website sharktagger.com.
Mako sharks swim fast, attack fast and can jump into boats, Sharks-World reports.
We’d rather take our chances with a Yorkie.