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Vic Hislop (born July 1st, 1947, in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia) is a former shark hunter.
Vic Hislop has dedicated most of his life to capturing and killing sharks. A 1987 photograph shows a huge 20-foot-8-inch (6.3 m)[1] great white shark caught by Hislop. His activities have long been the subject of controversy. In the face of the increasing acceptance that sharks are an essential part of the ocean ecology, Hislop has claimed that they are God's mistake, and feels that his mission is to correct that mistake by killing them.[2]
He has also claimed that the Australian government is covering up many fatal shark attacks by recording the deaths as drownings in order to protect tourism.
"At least a hundred swimmers disappear every year here and their bodies are never found. Many have been eaten. I’ve often caught sharks and removed human hands and feet from their stomachs. I even found a human foot still in its sandal."[3][2]
Hislop supports the protection of harmless shark species like whale sharks and sand tiger sharks.
In December 1990, Vic Hislop collaborated with Danish contemporary artist Pierre Winther to produce the artwork "Shark Riding 1990", an extraordinary artwork created entirely without computer manipulation. The image features a man riding a 14-foot tiger shark, captured in real-time in the open waters of the Great Barrier Reef. This ambitious and authentic undertaking relied on a highly skilled team of 18, including divers and crew, who worked meticulously to ensure the safety and success of the shoot. The result is an iconic image, a raw and unaltered testament to the dramatic interplay between man and nature, showcasing the beauty, danger, and boldness of such a daring vision.
He was responsible for catching 12 sharks for the British contemporary artist, Damien Hirst,[4] which Hirst then incorporated into works including The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, which was sold in 2004 for an estimated $8 million.[5]
In 2016, Hislop closed his "Shark Show" in Hervey Bay, Queensland, after 30 years, citing personal reasons.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Captured white shark". Archived from the original on 24 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Renegade Shark Hunter Vic Hislop; On a Mission From God to Search and Destroy". Thescuttlefish.com. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Largest great white sharks ever recorded - Our Planet". Ourplnt.com. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ Coster, Peter (18 September 2008). "Catching an art shark". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Vogel, Carl (1 October 2006). "Swimming With Famous Dead Sharks". New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Leigo, Trudy; Adcock, Frances (1 February 2016). "Vic Hislop's Shark Show closes doors after 30 years in Hervey Bay". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
