http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/07/24/australia.pattingsharks.ap/index.html
CNN.com - Tourists leap on dead whale, pat sharks - July 24, 2001

Tourists leap on dead whale, pat sharks
July 24, 2001 Posted: 11:53 AM EDT (1553 GMT)

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) -- Australian tourism authorities may change laws
[b]"to protect people too stupid to protect themselves"[/b] after sightseers
clambered on a floating dead whale and patted great white sharks eating
the carcass.
South Australia state Environment Minister Iain Evans said Tuesday he was
shocked at the level of disrespect some people showed for their own
safety.
"I am also appalled by the bizarre behavior of walking across the back of
dead whales or, for that matter, patting a great white shark while it is
feeding," Evans said.
"These creatures are not toys. In the case of the great white, they can be
extremely dangerous and it is clear the state government will need to look
at changing the law in order to protect people too stupid to protect
themselves," he added.
At present, marine regulations only prevent people from coming within 100
meters (yards) of a live whale. No restrictions apply to dead whales.
Evans said he will ask his department to consider a similar exclusion zone
for dead whales.
"It may be the only way we can keep sightseers from getting so close that
they put themselves in danger of other marine animals," he said.
The tourists' actions were caught on film this week near Cape Jervis, 100
kilometers (60 miles) south of Adelaide.
The southern right whale died late last week. About a dozen sharks
immediately began devouring the carcass, sometimes tearing off chunks of
flesh in a feeding frenzy.
Boat operators cashed in, ferrying dozens of customers to the site for a
closer look.

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
© 2001 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
An AOL Time Warner Company.

Added link to original story.

"it is clear the state government will need to look
at changing the law in order to protect people too stupid to protect
themselves," he added."

Yes, what we need a new law to protect people from themselves...

Wonder if the politico realizes how stupid that sounds when you hear it...?

The tourists sound like Darwin Award contestants to me.

Unbelievable!

Sharks are way too dangerous to pet.  

They should stick to petting less lethal creatures such as the Australian Box Jellyfish.

A law against being STUPID?  So do you have to lock up all the STUPID people?

Petting a great white on a feeding frenzy....sounds like a nominee for the Darwin awards to me.

Let "natural selection" take its course.  Hell, I'll charter a few boats myself and gladly pay to ferry a select few "sightseers" myself. Let's see......Feinstein, Schumer, Kennedy,....hell, I'll go broke way before I find the bottom of THIS list.

....thinning the herd.

We would never have enough jail space to lock up all the "stupid people".

I want a law to protect us from stupid legislators.  

Let the stupid people get themselves killed.  We obviously need a little chlorine in the gene pool anyway.

"These creatures are not toys. In the case of the great white, they can be
extremely dangerous and it is clear the state government will need to look
at changing the law in order to protect people too stupid to protect
themselves," he added."

Kinda like gun control....

No offense to retards when I say this, but how much of a 'tard do you have to be to pet a shark?

[rolleyes]

Those walking on whales obviously just got out of the shallow end of the gene pool!

C'mon we know the problem. Stupid people do stupid things, then require the government come resue them. Then they sue the government claiming the rescue was too slow, sloppy, or not comfy enough. They also sue the doctor that treated them because he wasn't quick enough to treat the shark bite that was infected when it was inflicted in a stew of sea water and putrid blubber.

Iam wanting to know why the whales are dying off? i heard there is one species of whale that
are only about 50 left! why?

We had an Aussie tourist jump a couple fences here in Alaska to photograph a polar bear at the zoo.

She leaned inside the primary cage to photograph the snoozing bear, which jumped up, covered distance fast, and nearly got her.  You may have seen the picture of the bear holding a red tennis shoe by the laces in its mouth.

To her credit, she refused to sue saying she jumped the fences because the bear was asleep and in plain veiw, but she did not beleive such a big animal could move so fast.

Everyone had a good laugh about the stupid tourist, but then a 19 year old Alaskan tried the same thing a couple weeks later.

Are people really that STUPID?? If they want to jump on a dead whale and pet Great White Sharks be my guest, but don't cry when that shark decides to take a bite out of your ass.

I would like to know what the attraction is to climb on top of a dead whale carcass to begin with?  I don't typically lay on top of a dead raccoon and swat at the flies.....

Its amazing what people will do just to get a little thrill.  What idiots.

All this Darwin discussion is fascinating, but the story says it was filmed.

I MUST SEE THESE IDIOTS IN ACTION!!!!!

Somebody post a link!

I saw this story on MSNBC, and saw the footage of the great whites eating the whale, which was incredible in itself.  The anchor said that Australian authorities were keeping tour boats away "to protect people too stupid to protect themselves", but they didn't mention people actually jumping onto the whale carcass.  I imagined people leaning over the guardrails to pet the shark as being stupid, but to jump on the actually whale........stupid isn't strong enough a word.

What Kuiper said, why pass any laws? People this  stupid will kill themselves (hopefully) before they reproduce, thus ending an obviously defective gene pool.

This is why I don't believe in seat belt laws, helmet laws, or air bags.  We are protecting stupid people.  If they don't have enough sense to buckle up or put on a helmet for a bike or pet great whites while feeding, they deserve whatever happens to them.

The wife and I saw this on the news (might have been CNN) the other night.  It was shocking what these idiots were doing.  Actually reaching out and touching (over and over) the nose of a great-white while it feeds on something.  We both looked at each other in amazement.  Those who are willing to take part in this type of activity deserve whatever they get.  And someone actually wants to make laws to protect them (how does that work).  I would have like to seen the shark lunge up out of the water and swallow his torso.

And one more damn thing:

Let's envision the thought process...

A:  "Hey, let's leap on this dead whale before they totally turn it into Great White Poop.  I think we can get close enough to touch them, maybe pat them over and over."

B:  "That seems kinda risky."

A:  "Oh, yeah, you're right.  I TOTALLY forgot that we might get a ticket if we do that.  BUMMER!"

Don't be too critical. I think every liberal should try it. In fact, only a liberal is likely dumb enough to try it. Natural selection is a wonderful thing.

OK, found it myself, it's worth a look:

http://realguide.real.com/news/?