Foreign beachgoers, Thai lifeguard return caught ray to Phuket sea (video)
A viral video shared on Thai social media today showed a group of foreign beachgoers and a Thai lifeguard rescuing a ray and returning the animal to the sea.
The Phuket Hotnews, along with other media outlets such as PPTV HD and MGR Online, shared the video of the ray’s rescue mission today, March 10. The animal was seen lying on the beach, reported to be Nai Thon Beach in the Thalang district of Phuket, with its body covered in sand.
A group of foreigners gathered around the animal. Five of them were seen carefully placing their hands under the ray’s body and gently moving it to the seawater.
Another video shared on MGR Online showed that the ray was trapped by a rope, believed to belong to a local fisherman. It was not clear whether the fisherman intentionally caught the ray or whether the animal accidentally ensnared in the fishing equipment.
One Thai netizen speculated that the ray might not survive due to injuries sustained from the fishing equipment as well as those incurred during the transport from the beach to the sea. There has been no further update on whether the ray survived.
Another ray rescue mission was reported in January when a group of Thai fishermen released a ray weighing over 200 kilogrammes into the sea.
The ray reportedly became trapped in a fishing net while the fishermen were hunting about 7 kilometres from Similan Island in the southern province of Phang Nga.
A related animal rescue attempt was reported in Phuket in the same month when the British YouTuber Sean King discovered a number of animals struggling in an abandoned zoo in the province.
The zoo was closed down due to financial issues during the pandemic.
The animals, including deer, tigers, and crocodiles, were still in cages without food or proper care. At the end of the video, King was confronted by a Thai national who was looking after the abandoned zoo. It was not clear whether his video reached any relevant department that could take care of the animals.
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