Crikey!
Well, this has got to be one of wierdest things. I wake up this morning, turn on the tv, and see breaking news: Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, killed. So, like everyone else who probably saw that headline, I figure that he probably got taken out by a croc. Oh, no, no, no. Stingray barb to the heart. Here's the link.
Now, I've been swimming with plenty of stingrays. Big southerns that easily have a barb big enough to do it. I've NEVER even considered that that can happen. Granted, I give them enough distance and I don't mess around with them. That's just smart research karma. But good lord! I should email the head of the International Shark Attack File (who I know) and ask him about this one.
The new question in my head, now that I've come to terms with this freakish accident is this: will there be a mass erratication of stingrays like there tends to be on "man-eating" sharks when people get attacked? There are places in Brazil that, everyday, send people out to kill the stingrays on the beach to make it "safe" for tourists. A mass stingray hunt would be ironic, since one of Steve's messages was conservation.
Now, I've been swimming with plenty of stingrays. Big southerns that easily have a barb big enough to do it. I've NEVER even considered that that can happen. Granted, I give them enough distance and I don't mess around with them. That's just smart research karma. But good lord! I should email the head of the International Shark Attack File (who I know) and ask him about this one.
The new question in my head, now that I've come to terms with this freakish accident is this: will there be a mass erratication of stingrays like there tends to be on "man-eating" sharks when people get attacked? There are places in Brazil that, everyday, send people out to kill the stingrays on the beach to make it "safe" for tourists. A mass stingray hunt would be ironic, since one of Steve's messages was conservation.