We have previously discussed outrageous acts by people passing around dolphins or other sea creatures for selfies — only to kill the animals (here and here and here). The latest alleged moron is Granger Ray Wooten, 21, who is accused of beaching a hammerhead shark, repeatedly punching it, and then taking photos of it.
Witnesses say that Wooten dragged a hammerhead shark out the water near the pier in St Andrews State Park in Florida on the evening of October 24. He was seen punching the shark in its gills. He and another male reportedly then sat a 4-year old boy on the shark for a photo opportunity. The shark was later found dead.
It is a truly horrific account. Wooten later reportedly said that he was merely punching the shark in an attempt to revive the animal. The officers said that he claimed to be trying to get air into the lungs of the shark to save — a questionable excuse since sharks do not have lungs. It is also not clear how the photos with the kids on top of the shark was meant to be therapeutic.
Wooten from Lafayette, Georgia has been charged with the offense of killing the hammerhead shark. As disgusting as this alleged crime may have been, it is clear only a misdemeanor which shows the utter lack of deterrence for such violence against saline. It is not clear why the other man was not charged.
It is obviously illegal to harvest, land, or kill hammerhead sharks, which are listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List.
Is this guy from Pin Pointe, Georgia. Isn’t that where Uncle Clarence comes from?
As disgusting as this alleged crime may have been, it is clear only a misdemeanor which shows the utter lack of deterrence for such violence against saline. It is not clear why the other man was not charged.
Does there really need to be a deterent?
What reasonable person would jump into the ocean in order to punch a shark and then pull it out onto the beach so he can take the picture of a four year old child riding it?
The alleged moron is Granger Ray Wooten who is in serious need of a mental health check-up.
Granger Ray Wooten is a potential future Darwin Awards canidate.
At this point he is charged with catching the shark which is a misdemeanor.
He may be charged with cruelty to animals later.
With the social media uproar and international news media attention it is quite likely that cruelty charges will be added and he’ll be looking at felonies.
Maybe even child endangerment charges, kidnapping if the kid wasn’t his, and a whole slew of other charges.
Please do not refer to such a creature of the homo sapien species as a “moron.” This is an insult to morons, who suffer from mental impairments but are not necessarily cruel, heartless, or careless. The correct biological name for this subspecies is “ultrasubcretinoid” and such an individual would be called an “ultrasubcretin.” Please also note that cretins are also not necessarily cruel, heartless, or careless; hence the “sub,” indicating below a cretin, and the “ultra,” indicating that the creature is far, far below a cretin as an earthly species. Thank you.
SIKO!!
Don’t ya know, you are only allowed to post the most important piece of news and ignore all the rest. Small minds need protection.
An MFer, for sure, but hardly classy.
There’s a Georgia boy!
More newsworthy than the 61 shot and 9 killed over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in Chicago?
He clearly did not know it was endangered, since he did not know sharks have lungs. Ignorance will be his excuse. “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” from WKRP Thanksgiving show.
Did you folks know that Georgia was a penal colony before it morphed into a state?
Do not vote for a Presidential Candidate who smokes either. Look at that Castro astardBay or JFK or Hitler.
He should meet a great-white sans cage. Unfortunately humanity is far worse:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/01/100-million-sharks-killed-every-year-study-shows-on-eve-of-international-conference-on-shark-protection/
Is this “horrific” because the animal was “obviously” on an endangered species list, or for the actions themselves? If the latter, then why was it horrific? Do sharks have rights like humans do, and if so, why and how? If not, then why do you care so passionately about this shark’s death? Nothing in the ocean dies of old age.
“If the latter, then why was it horrific? Do sharks have rights like humans do, and if so, why and how?”
Why would you think the victim of a horrific act has to have the same rights that humans have?
You might convince me that a lack consciousness in the victim prevents the act from being horrific. But I don’t see that right have any thing to do with the concept of horrific.
To paraphrase William Munny to little Bill ‘right’s got nothin’ to do with it’.
The problem is not that an animal or a human dies. The problem is that some men gleefully enjoy killing, maiming, and torturing others.
I guess you missed the class about how going out of your way to torment living things and cause them pain is a sign of poor character.
Oh horrors. Kill all the infants you want, but don’t touch the sharks.
I don’t know where you live, but killing infants is illegal in all 50 states. You must be Canadian.
So you want to kill living beings and prevent women from managing their own bodies.
His t-shirt says it all. Is that a beer he’s drinking? That would complete the picture.
No. What completes the picture is the cigarette in his hand. Dumb smoker. The sentence should be to throw him into a pool of sharks at marine land with an anchor on his foot and a cigarette up his…