A number of stingrays have been killed and left on beaches in Queensland, Australia, following the death of TV wildlife presenter Steve Irwin by ray barb earlier this month.

Around a dozen of the creatures are reported to have been left on beaches around Brisbane, a number having had their tails cut off. Conjecture was that the killings reflected revenge over Irwin's death, which occurred during filming for a TV documentary on stingrays.

Environmentalists, including individuals who worked with Irwin, were united in their response. The action of the perpetrators was utterly wrong - and, if they claimed to be acting for Irwin, they should understand that Irwin would have been horrified by what they had done.

An alternative theory to the killings is that they involved trophy hunters, keen to extract the long barbs from the tails of the animals to keep or sell as sick momentoes of the attack that claimed Irwin's life.

Related links
The fatal attack

News Index Page