Danielle Murray: Plea from a seaside victim of unthinking cruelty

COMMENT

"If you ever see me being beaten up by the cops, can you please put down your video-camera and come out and lend me a hand" is a quote which circulates the internet now and then, supposedly uttered by Rodney King after his 1991 attack at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department.

That's what came to mind last week when I saw the picture in the Herald and its caption: "Well and truly out of its element, an eagle ray lies dying on the concrete of Devonport Wharf."

Now, I've never professed the ability to read minds - especially when it comes to fish - but all day, I am quite certain, I could hear this small voice calling out from stingray heaven.

"Thanks for taking my photo but do you think maybe you could have put down the camera and thrown me back into the sea?"

Okay, call me crazy. This was not a harmless Clown Fish. But I really felt bad. How could anyone just leave this poor creature to die like that?

And then it hit me. Knowing what I know about stingrays and their excruciatingly painful poisonous barbs would I have done any different? Would I, knowing I could get hurt, handle a distressed stingray? No.

So I'm a wimp. But I'm a curious wimp. I had to know more.

According to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, three types of stingray are found in NZ waters - the long tailed, short tailed and my dear dead friend, the eagle ray.

No one knows how long they live but they can grow to weigh 250kg or more, reports the Leigh Marine Laboratory.

And they can hurt. To defend themselves, stingrays have one or two toxic barbs on their tails. Venom is released once a barb penetrates skin. The pain is instant and intense. And there's blood too.

The interesting thing is, the venom is destroyed by heat. Yes, your best bet is to go straight to hospital but along the way, grab some hot water and soak the wound.

But the chances of my ever getting stung are extremely rare. And while most people are stung only because they happen to step on the poor thing, the stingray is far more likely to flee as a result than slash its tail.

So what could I have done, had it been me on the Devonport Wharf last week? Well, I could have called Kelly Tarlton's across the harbour.

And if I weren't within spitting distance of an aquarium, then what to do?

Senior aquarist Don Godoy advises:

"If one were to catch an eagle ray and wanted to remove the hook safely, the best thing to do would be to roll the ray onto its back, then the barb becomes ineffectual. Then you can remove the hook.

"Otherwise, you can cut the line as close to the hook as possible, the hook being designed to rust away. Then, if you wanted to release it into the water, the best thing to do is to put something (towel) over the tail end, wrapping it loosely. Then one can release it safely."

And if it gets mad? "With all the rays I have handled it's been rare to see them try and use their barb with any great effect," says Godoy. "I guess out of water they are just trying to breathe."

Still, he adds, best be careful.

* Danielle Murray of Maungaturoto in Northland is fascinated by stingrays.