Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/mekong-stingray/

How do you feel when you get to save an endangered species?

Ecstatic! That was exactly how local folks from the Stung Treng province of Cambodia felt when they returned a giant freshwater stingray back to its home in Mekong River.

The female stingray was accidentally caught when it swallowed a smaller fish that had already taken a bait set by several fishermen. The local people did their best to help the giant creature avoid getting hurt by the hooked fish before releasing it into the river where they hope it would enjoy a long life.

Giant freshwater stingrays are the largest freshwater fish in the world. They can grow up to 16.5 feet in length, including their whip-like tail. These amazing fish are flat and wide and defined by gray or brown color. Unlike most fish species, they breathe through holes on top of their bodies which are called spiracles.

Although they are as large as a car, these aquatic creatures thrive on clams and crabs. They are not also aggressive creatures, rarely attacking people unless threatened. When caught in a net, giant freshwater stingrays are known to resist with awesome strength that is capable of dragging a fishing boat.

Discovered by Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker in 1852, there is still a lot that people do not know about giant freshwater stingrays. Found in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, it is difficult for scientists to study them because they stay at the bottom of rivers.

However, the population of giant freshwater stingrays has declined significantly in recent years due to the degradation of their natural habitat. There is an even more serious problem now since Mekong River has become one of the most polluted rivers in the world, flushing out into the oceans an estimated 40,000 tons of plastic each year.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog