Marine Life & Conservation
Cristina Zenato joins Bite-Back’s Media Campaign
Globally respected shark diver and conservationist Cristina Zenato has become the latest high profile supporter of Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s Mind Your Language campaign, calling on the media to stop demonising sharks and only accurately report shark stories. Cristina Zenato now joins Steve Backshall MBE, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Wendy Benchley (widow of JAWS author, Peter) as ambassadors of the charity’s campaign.
Best known for her pioneering work with Caribbean Reef sharks in the Bahamas, including the frequent removal of fishing hooks from their mouths, Cristina Zenato has used her social media channels to speak out about how the media’s constant portrayal of sharks as ‘deadly’, ‘menacing’, ‘blood-thirsty beasts’ has conditioned the public to fear sharks rather than admire them. Like Bite-Back, Cristina Zenato believes that this learned mind-set stands in the way of important and urgent shark conservation efforts.
Cristina Zenato said: “For many people their only experience of sharks is in the movies, newspaper headlines and news reports. Words like ‘monster’, ‘killer’ and ‘man-eater’ are clichés and serve only to perpetuate a myth; a myth that needs to be exposed and set right. My daily experience with sharks is so far removed from these sensational headlines that I’m happy to give Bite-Back’s campaign my full support.”
Since it launched its Media Guidelines for Reporting Shark Encounters in 2019, Bite-Back says it’s noticed evidence of a positive shift in the way some media describe sharks but acknowledge that ‘there’s still a mountain to climb’.
Together with its ambassadors Bite-Back uses its Media Guidelines to educate and encourage media outlets to only factually report shark encounters and regularly exposes sensational and ‘killer’ headlines as harmful ‘click bait’.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We can’t let the media go on describing sharks as monsters and expect people to love them. That’s why we’re excited to enrol Cristina to help us challenge the way the media reports shark encounters. Her passion for sharks is infectious and her voice has reach and authority. She’s a perfect ambassador for this campaign.”
Cristina Zenato’s work with sharks in the Bahamas is set to feature in the forthcoming TV series SHARKS with Steve Backshall on the Discovery Channel this autumn.
Find out more about Cristina Zenato at www.cristinazenato.com and learn how you can support Bite-Back’s campaigns at www.bite-back.com.
Marine Life & Conservation
Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Marine Life & Conservation
Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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