Stranded stingray

We came across a stranded stingray this morning on our walk down the beach. We were a bit later than usual and the sun was quite high, producing a lot of heat for this autumn morning.

Whilst the critter looked dead, it reacted quite strongly when we feebly tried to move it. The big barb on the end of its tail was certainly a deterrent to picking it up and placing it back in the sea. The long and short of it was we were both scared to get too close, because of its barb. I have heard horror stories of the pain inflicted should one get the stinger embedded in any part of one’s body. But I felt sorry for the fish and stood blocking the sun, to shield it from some of the heat that was belting down. Every seventh or eighth wave washed up to the stingray and we knew that in another half hour or so, as the tide came in, it could make its own choice of whether to return to the sea or to die. It was a possibility that it had stranded itself on purpose either from being sick or for another unknown reason.

We were soon joined by a family who had chosen the beautiful day to spend at the beach and they said they had a shovel which could be maneuvered under the fish to help it back to sea, so we left them to it, reluctantly, on my part, I must say.

I thought about the stingray several times during the day, wondering how it fared. I feel guilty for not trying harder to help it. When an animal is in a state such as this one was, it is unable to do anything, and is totally at the mercy of its surrounds. There were many dogs walking up and down the beach, though I don’t think any were that close to the low-tide mark. How difficult would it have been to have walked up to the grass and found a stick or something solid to move it? If it still died, then at least we had tried.

I have helped hundreds of animals, insects and birds over my time as a farmer and through other times in my life. The only reason I didn’t help this stingray was because I was scared of it. One of the family members suggested turning the stingray upside down to disable it, but to me it seemed like it was stressed enough without adding more to it. Is that a good enough excuse to just walk away, believing the family would get their shovel, or if not, that the tide would soon be covering it?

It is horrible seeing any creature suffer, especially when we as humans have the power to end that suffering. I do feel like I have failed a very basic test in humanity. I guess I will learn the outcome tomorrow when I see him either dead and washed higher up or not at all. It if is the latter, I can let myself believe that he made a full recovery. Let’s hope it is the latter.