Sharks are great animals

"Blood in the water, ... sharks were circling..." After reading this in the shark attack article (Feb. 5), I felt a responsibility to remind the public that shark attacks are extremely rare when considering the millions of people who enter the ocean each year. The truth is, the odds of being killed by a dog are much, much greater. Peter Benchley was the author of the book "Jaws." He later became very sorry for the effect that "Jaws" had on the public perception of sharks as being vicious and bloodthirsty. He eventually became a shark conservationist to preserve these great animals.

Derek Scott Williams

Springville