Manny Puig
Encyclopedia
Manny "Sharkman" Puig (born 13 February 1954) is an American wildlife
educator and entertainer. Puig is known for his direct approach when dealing with dangerous animals such as shark
s, black bears
and American alligators. He has made frequent appearances on the television shows Jackass
and Wildboyz
.
in 1954, but he and his mother emigrated to Florida
, where he became interested in wildlife
. Spear fishing off the Florida Keys
inspired him. In his youth, Puig traveled into the Everglades
with only a frying pan and a shotgun
. He hunted deer and drank water from creek
s. Later on, he filmed his exploits, initially focusing on shark
s.
and Mark Rackley, both in training her as a free diver and in filming underwater encounters with animals such as alligators and sharks. Rackley worked as a spearfisherman and underwater videographer. Puig had experience as an animal handler on movie sets and had learned how to ride and handle alligators in their environment. The trio formed a company named Extreme Encounters.
Puig advocates a basic approach to wildlife and denounces the use of safety gear such as cages, protective clothing and diving apparatus. He states that he has a great respect for the Native Americans
because of their interaction with the land and their survival skills. His interests also include history and geography documentaries.
Puig has appeared on the television program Jackass
, in Jackass The Movie, Jackass Number Two and Jackass 3D
. In these projects, he is credited as an expert on predatory animals. One of Puig's stunts is featured in the second film, where he dives with Steve-O
around hammerhead
and other dangerous sharks. Puig states that Steve-O was very lucky not to have lost his foot after kicking a shark.
Puig is also featured on the MTV
program Wildboyz
, where he resumes his the role of a predatory-animal expert. Some of Puig's stunts on Wildboyz include having a snapping turtle lock onto his hand. According to Chris Pontius
on the special features of one of the Wildboyz DVDs, he heard Puig scream for the first time in his life when he had the snapping turtle bite his hand in The Deep South, United States.
After finishing the second Jackass movie and with the final season of Wildboyz having completed, Puig produced his own film entitled Ultimate Predator. The film shows him interacting particularly with sharks. The film also features adventures with Johnny Knoxville
, Steve-O
, Chris Pontius
and Jeff Tremaine
.
Puig also appeared on "Feeding Time" during Discovery Channel
's Shark Week in 2007.
Puig was featured on the Outdoor Channel show called Savage Wild. The episodes of Savage Wild take place in the Everglades
and surrounding environs near Miami, Florida
and range from Manny hunting a wild boar with only a rudimentary spear, or carefully maneuvering through the water with a monster alligator, or handling highly venomous wild snakes, such as water moccasins, in their natural environment. One of his amazing feats is his ability to sneak up right in front of an alligator under water and grab hold of the alligators skin under its jaw and hold on as the alligator thrashes about under water and leaping out trying to bite and shake him off. The cameraman is just as daring as he dips into the murky water to film Puig's feats in the unknown. The show aired for 7 episodes in 2009, and its future is uncertain.
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
educator and entertainer. Puig is known for his direct approach when dealing with dangerous animals such as shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
and American alligators. He has made frequent appearances on the television shows Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
and Wildboyz
Wildboyz
Wildboyz is a spin-off and follow-up to Jackass, which debuted in 2003 on MTV and moved to MTV2 in its third season. Steve-O and Chris Pontius are the stars of the show, who perform stunts and acts with animals, often putting themselves in situations for which they are not trained...
.
Early life
Puig was born in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1954, but he and his mother emigrated to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where he became interested in wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
. Spear fishing off the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
inspired him. In his youth, Puig traveled into the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
with only a frying pan and a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. He hunted deer and drank water from creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s. Later on, he filmed his exploits, initially focusing on shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s.
Career
In the late 1990s, Puig worked with Mehgan Heaney-GrierMehgan Heaney-Grier
thumb|upright|Freedive Champion Mehgan Heaney-GrierMehgan Heaney-Grier is a US champion free-diver, fashion model, actress, conservationist, and TV personality.-Early life:...
and Mark Rackley, both in training her as a free diver and in filming underwater encounters with animals such as alligators and sharks. Rackley worked as a spearfisherman and underwater videographer. Puig had experience as an animal handler on movie sets and had learned how to ride and handle alligators in their environment. The trio formed a company named Extreme Encounters.
Puig advocates a basic approach to wildlife and denounces the use of safety gear such as cages, protective clothing and diving apparatus. He states that he has a great respect for the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
because of their interaction with the land and their survival skills. His interests also include history and geography documentaries.
Puig has appeared on the television program Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
, in Jackass The Movie, Jackass Number Two and Jackass 3D
Jackass 3D
Jackass 3D is a 2010 American 3D comedy film and the fourth film in the Jackass series. It was released on October 15, 2010 by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films to American theaters and marked the 10th anniversary of the franchise, which started in 2000...
. In these projects, he is credited as an expert on predatory animals. One of Puig's stunts is featured in the second film, where he dives with Steve-O
Steve-O
Steve-O is an American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series Jackass and accompanying movies....
around hammerhead
Hammerhead shark
The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks in the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a "hammer" shape called a "cephalofoil". Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna while the...
and other dangerous sharks. Puig states that Steve-O was very lucky not to have lost his foot after kicking a shark.
Puig is also featured on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
program Wildboyz
Wildboyz
Wildboyz is a spin-off and follow-up to Jackass, which debuted in 2003 on MTV and moved to MTV2 in its third season. Steve-O and Chris Pontius are the stars of the show, who perform stunts and acts with animals, often putting themselves in situations for which they are not trained...
, where he resumes his the role of a predatory-animal expert. Some of Puig's stunts on Wildboyz include having a snapping turtle lock onto his hand. According to Chris Pontius
Chris Pontius
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Pontius is an American entertainer and daredevil. Pontius is a member of Jackass, and along with Steve-O, was the co-host of Wildboyz.-Life and career:...
on the special features of one of the Wildboyz DVDs, he heard Puig scream for the first time in his life when he had the snapping turtle bite his hand in The Deep South, United States.
After finishing the second Jackass movie and with the final season of Wildboyz having completed, Puig produced his own film entitled Ultimate Predator. The film shows him interacting particularly with sharks. The film also features adventures with Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
, Steve-O
Steve-O
Steve-O is an American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series Jackass and accompanying movies....
, Chris Pontius
Chris Pontius
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Pontius is an American entertainer and daredevil. Pontius is a member of Jackass, and along with Steve-O, was the co-host of Wildboyz.-Life and career:...
and Jeff Tremaine
Jeff Tremaine
Jeffery James "Jeff" Tremaine is an American film and television producer/director, and, along with Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze, one of the creators of MTV's Jackass. He directed Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3D, and Jackass spinoff Wildboyz...
.
Puig also appeared on "Feeding Time" during Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's Shark Week in 2007.
Puig was featured on the Outdoor Channel show called Savage Wild. The episodes of Savage Wild take place in the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
and surrounding environs near Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and range from Manny hunting a wild boar with only a rudimentary spear, or carefully maneuvering through the water with a monster alligator, or handling highly venomous wild snakes, such as water moccasins, in their natural environment. One of his amazing feats is his ability to sneak up right in front of an alligator under water and grab hold of the alligators skin under its jaw and hold on as the alligator thrashes about under water and leaping out trying to bite and shake him off. The cameraman is just as daring as he dips into the murky water to film Puig's feats in the unknown. The show aired for 7 episodes in 2009, and its future is uncertain.
External links
- MannyPuig.com - Official Site