10 stingrays killed since Irwin’s death
Fears of revenge attacks on stingrays over Irwin death
At least ten stingrays have been found dead and mutilated on Australia’s eastern coast in the last week in what conservationists believe could be revenge attacks for the death of Steve Irwin, the popular naturalist and television personality. Irwin, known by his fans as the “Crocodile Hunter”, was killed last Monday when a stingray barb pierced his chest as he filmed a new TV programme off the Great Barrier Reef. His death triggered an outpouring of grief in Australia and among thousands of admirers worldwide. But now it is feared that fans’ mourning has taken a new focus: stingray rage.
So what would you do if your favorite TV star was killed by an animal while doing what he loved? Would you mourn his untimely demise? Perhaps donate to his favorite charity? Would you resolve to volunteer at your local Humane Society to honor his memory? These would all be healthy and positive options, and no doubt good ways to deal with your grief. Of course, not everyone manages to deal with grief constructively. In fact, some folks are dealing with their grief by acting out against stingsrays, who have the IQ of cinnamon scone…which sounds as if it’s a fair bit higher than the people involved in this sorry scenario.
Yes, itt seems that some Australians are out for revenge…on stingrays. After all, if a stingray hadn’t assassinated Steve Irwin, he’d still be out there trying to feed his infant son to some poor, unsuspecting crocodile. Isn’t this a little, well, juvenile and immature? Not to mention pointless and destructive?
The dead stingrays have been discovered on two beaches in Queensland state, where Mr Irwin lived and ran his popular wildlife park, Australia Zoo. Two of the unfortunate rays, discovered today, were retrieved with their tails lopped off, according to local fishery officials.
Michael Hornby, a friend of Mr Irwin and executive director of his conservation group Wildlife Warriors, said he was concerned that the rays, which are usually docile creatures, were being hunted and killed in retaliation for Irwin’s death, which he said, would go against everything that the television star had stood for.
Yeah, we’ll teach those murdering stingray bastards a lesson, eh? Jeebus, what IS wrong with these maroons??
