These days, having pets as companions is something natural, as is that group of people who are called “man’s best friend.” But diver Jim Abernathy went further and decided to take a shark over 4m long.
Abernathy takes care of a 15-foot female tiger shark named Emma as her pet. He takes selfies, teaches tricks and even hugs to please her. Information taken from R7.
Diver Jim Abernathy caresses his pet tiger shark Emma – Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/@JIM_ABERNETHYEncounter with a shark
Abernathy, a Florida resident, claims he first encountered the huge predator in 2001 when he pulled a hook out of his mouth in the water near Tiger Beach. He says he was by his girlfriend’s side for ten of her pregnancies and pulled four more hooks out of her mouth.
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“Emma is definitely not just a shark. It’s basically a golden retriever that comes and sits on the couch, completely relaxed and comfortable,” the diver said.
However, he claims it’s not just their close relationship that makes him return to the aquarium and swim with Emma. Abernathy says the adrenaline rush of coming face to face with an apex predator that could eat you at any moment keeps the fire going.
“Sharks are not mindless man-eating monsters; in fact they are sentient beings, just like dogs and cats.”
Source: Ndmais