Comments on: Blue-Spotted Sting Ray

By: Zita

Zita — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 06:49:39 +0000

Talking about the Croc Hunter will arouse good and ill feelings. Like many I thought he was over the top, foolish etc. But when I saw him at Andrew Denton’s interview, it gave me a reason to respect what he does and how he is a person. Sure he’s an okka, but that’s just the way he is. He made heaps of money, but it all went back to his zoo and purchasing lands so they can set it up as a preserved haven for animals. His family lives in a the same low set home in the middle of the zoo. In 2002 Australia Zoo managed to topple the Gold Coast’s theme park giants Dreamworld and Sea World to take out the Queensland tourism industry’s major award for best major tourist attraction.
We all thought he was ten feet tall and indestructable. He will be missed by all. I am sure that his legacy will live on, Terri his wife, Bindi and Bob will forge ahead.

By: hchie

hchie — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 00:43:01 +0000

Mr.”Cricky” as my grandson calls him, will be sorely missed. His sometimes risky antics was what made people watch his shows.My mom said that the “buntot ng pagi” was used as a weapon,like a whip.

By: acmr

acmr — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 22:44:39 +0000

His accident is truly a freak accident. I have mixed feelings about the croc hunter. Thought he was really stupid feeding a croc with one hand and clutching his infant son with the other. But he IS entertaining to watch otherwise.
Being a diver myself, I have seen rays of different kinds in Batangas and Bohol. I have seen small ones that are less than a foot wide (like the blue spotted one in pic), marble rays that are round and as big as a coffee table top, and also manta rays that have 10-16 feet wingspan. Just like sharks, they avoid humans! They are afraid of bubble breathing scuba divers. It makes me wonder if they were in fact chasing the rays so the cornered sting rays had to choice but to fight back. It’s really a dilemma. Where do we draw the line between environmental education and encroaching upon a species’ natural habitat?

By: Nila

Nila — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:00:12 +0000

I lived in Bohol and my father used to catch string rays. He even preserved the tail of that string rays ( and joked of using it if we are naughty ). But no, HE DID NOT USED THAT THING BY ANY MEANS. When he passed away about ten years ago, we did throw it that ikog pagi. I feel sorry for Steve Irwin’s wife and the kids. I was disgusted watching him ( Steve )in one of his show holding his infant child while feeding the crocodile. He was endangering that poor little child. What he was thinking?

By: tulip

tulip — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:45:56 +0000

As a biologist, it surprised me that Mr. Irwin died due to Stingray injury. It was quite quick. According to news’ reports, as the barb hit his chest he pulled it out and after a while he got unconscious and lost his pulse. I think it was a fatal wound rather than envenomation that hit him or both? Hmmm. The barb punctured his rib cage which shields the heart. The depth of the wound might have cause the fast slow downed pace of blood pump. If stingrayâ€™s toxin got through his cardiovascular system, it might have affected its function too.

It is just really sad how unusual his death was.

By: Apicio

Apicio — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:16:06 +0000

Canâ€™t remember? Thought you have turtle recall.

In college I hang out with a friend whose family was well known in Malabon as what I would later discover a highly sought after specialty in France and Belgium that of boucher chevaline. You would think that our horses there would only be fit as fodder for glue factories but I think they got their stock from steeds raised for sport and so were well cared for and fed at a time before the advent of anabolic steroids.

By: lexie

lexie — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:03:20 +0000

The world has lost a great conservationist. For messages of support and sympathy to steves family go to http://www.qld.gov.au

By: Traci

Traci — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:24:56 +0000

felt rather depressed when i heard the news on Sky yesterday afternoon. i remembered he had young kids..

i’m just curious where this barb goes when they’re hooked? what do people do with them?

i first tasted sting ray in singapore – didn’t become a big fan of it, but it’s meaty and i thought the flesh looked like fish. if my brother hadn’t told me it was ‘ray i wouldn’t have known any better!

By: Apicio

Apicio — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:31:53 +0000

Yes Lee buntot pagi and the barbed long snout of saw fish (tagan) another trully menacing marine critter, are your tools of choice for repelling aswang. Botong Francisco had a series of dark drawings depicting this and the rest of Philippine underworld myths.

By: math

math — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 09:20:34 +0000

I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Steve Irwin but he was certainly very passionate about his work & really loved what he was doing.

I was so shocked when I heard the news about his death since it seems so ironic that a man who loved & understood all these dear animals would also die in their hands one day. He will indeed be a big loss to society!