Manta Ray Rescue
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Every year millions of animals die as a result of items being discarded in to the ocean. In this case it is a tangle of fishing line which has managed to wind itself around a huge manta ray. The animal must have been in agony – as the camera comes closer you can see the huge rips in its skin caused where the line has driven inwards. It must have only been a matter of time before the pain and the wounds bettered the manta ray and it died.
Fortunately, it was encountered by a group of Undersea Hunter divers at Cocos Island off the shore of Costa Rica. They were able to cut the manta ray free with a diving knife, releasing it after goodness knows how long. One can only ponder on the ability of a large fish, such as the ray, being able to experience relief or even gratitude but it certainly seems to know that it has been released from its bondage.
This extraordinary footage was made by Paul Slater and Don Shellhammer.
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