Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/diver-frees-stingray/
A diver off the coast of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain is being hailed a hero after saving the life of a helpless stingray.
The diver, who remained anonymous, explained to ViralHog that they were “sailing towards an underwater fishing area” when they spotted a buoy floating close to the coast.
They aimed their boat towards the buoy to investigate and that’s when they spotted a stingray deep in the water. It seemed to be trapped, so they dove in to investigate further and it’s a good thing they did.
After diving into the water, they realized that their suspicions were correct. There was a stingray badly entangled in fishing lines that needed help.
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Without hesitation, the diver pulled out his knife and began cutting the lines that were trapping the ray. They had to cut several ropes before the ray could move at all, let alone swim away.
After they got the stingray’s body free, it immediately tried to swim away, but there was still a line holding its tail. The diver cut one last rope and the ray was finally free.
They explained that in the same fishing gear that the ray was trapped in “there were several dead specimens.” Thankfully, this stingray got a second chance at life thanks to the diver’s kind efforts.
Watch the video below:
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The fishing industry poses a huge threat to aquatic wildlife, with numerous fish, marine mammals, and birds being killed as a result of discarded fishing gear. Even in areas where it’s illegal to dump fishing gear, sometimes lines, hooks, and nets can end up polluting those areas and harming the wildlife. You can support fish farming instead of fishing to help reduce the amount of fishing gear left in oceans.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
