A letter to the blacktips

Dear Blacktip Reef Sharks,

I love you and I hope you know that some of the humans you see care for you. I know you are scared, your numbers are dwindling due to humans overfishing you, stealing your fins and leaving you helpless as you drown, and ruining your home.

I love how elegantly you cut through the water, how you shimmer in the sunlight, how you can see a bit of black as you live your life, and how you are some of the most peaceful creatures I have ever discovered.

I want to do my part to protect you, for you have no voice, even if you tried: you do not have the proper organs, though I wish you did.

Then people would hear your anguish filled roars emerging from the waves;

The screams from your babies watching their mother have her fins sliced, and able to do nothing as she drowns;

The fear filled whimpers from all of you as the ocean feels more acidic, hotter against your placoid scales.

There is a responsibility of my kind to help yours out of the danger we forced upon you. We invaded your homes and left you feeling helpless and terrified. The colorful reefs around you are fading, and dying. Your pups deserve a safe place to live.

You are a shy, special species that avoid contact with my kind at all costs. While we come in with all of our gear, begging to even get a glimpse of your body; you swim fast and regally to safety. You have never killed my kind and yet we have killed yours.

I know you cannot trust me, but I want you to be able to try.

Sincerely,

Someone who loves you