
azza
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Sting rays are actually very timid creatures, and will - the VAST majority of the time - try to swim away from you, rather than sting you.
There is a lot of misleading information being touted by ignorant people at the moment, so here are some facts:
- Over the world, there are only 30 recorded deaths by sting ray stings, which is a completely miniscule amout. What happened to Steve was a tragic accident, but the odds of it happening again are less than that of you winning the lottery.
- Unfortunately, there isnt really anyway for Steve's accident to have been prevented. He just picked the wrong sting ray to follow, and something must've spooked it. Again, remember that sting rays DONT attack people for the sake of attacking them. They do attack when they get scared, or feel they have no other way of escape. It's possible Steve just followed this ray into a place it felt cornered in.
- Stingray stings do occur each year, and yes, they are painful, but remember, Steve was hit with a one in a million strike. The most common ways for people to be stung is if they dont see them resting on the bottom, and stand on them. A sting to the foot hurts like hell, but it isnt deadly.
Ok, so, here are some tips for avoiding getting stung:
- When wading in the sea, wear a pair of shoes or something that protects your foot. A sting ray bard is so long and sharp, that this wont stop them from stinging you, BUT, it will greatly reduce the damage done, and therefore, how painful it is.
- Dont wade around in murky water you cant see the bottom of. If you can see the bottom, you have a better chance of seeing a ray sitting on the bottom, and therefore a better chance of avoiding it.
- Dont swim to close to them if you dont know how to handle them, and never try to touch one. If you are swimming, and you see one, try and keep a bit of distance between you and it. Dont panic, or make any sudden moves either, because sudden moves are likely to scare it, and maybe (very unlikely) flick it's tail (with the sting in it).
Anyway, those are some things you can do, but remember, keep this in perspective. Steve was VERY unlucky. Sting rays really are fascinating (and gentle) creatures. They wont attack you unless you REALLY hassle them. |

Purple girl
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Stingrays are docile...like all animals, when they feel threatened, they react. From what I've learned, the camerman with big lights was about 1 foot in front of the ray, and Irwin was swimming right over it. The ray used its tail to fend Steve off, and when the tail shot up, it went right into his heart. If he hadn't have been so close and the camera man had been back a little, this may not have happened. |