Eagle Ray Swimming Serenely Near VivoCity, Netizen Marvels At Its Size
Since we can’t hang out in mall cafes any more due to the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) restrictions, some people may decide to hang out outside the mall instead.
A man who happened to be hanging out at the Sentosa Boardwalk, near VivoCity, was lucky enough to catch a rare sight.
It was an endangered white-spotted eagle ray casually swimming in the water.
The sight delighted and amazed netizens, and one remarked that they hope the post doesn’t attract anglers to rush down and try their luck.
Creature swims serenely near boardwalk
The popular photo was posted by a man in the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group.
At first, he identified it as a stingray.
A video he also posted showed the creature swimming serenely between the boardwalk and a breakwater.
From the surroundings seen in the video, the location of the sighting appears to be at the Sentosa Boardwalk.
Netizens identify it as spotted eagle ray
Some netizens corrected him, pointing out that it was a spotted eagle ray.
From the photos shared, the creature clearly has white spots.
As such, it appears to be a species of spotted eagle ray called Aetobatus ocellatus.
The white-spotted eagle ray is classified as “vulnerable” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, meaning it’s endangered.
It also means the OP was quite lucky to catch sight of it.
Another netizen also marvelled at the size of the eagle ray.
Anglers may rush over to reel it in
One netizen brought up the possibility that the post will cause anglers to rush to the location, so they can try reeling in the eagle ray.
But a responder said the ray isn’t even tasty, and besides, its endangered.
Instead, the beautiful creature should be left alone, others added.
NParks encourages responsible fishing
Indeed, the National Parks Board (NParks) has encouraged the public to be responsible while fishing.
When anglers reel in endangered and threatened species like the white-spotted eagle ray, they should release them back into the sea, the agency said.
However, this species isn’t protected under Singapore’s Wildlife Act, according to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).
Thus, the “catch-and-release” sustainable fishing method remains voluntary.
An eagle ray has been caught before
Those who doubt that anglers would fish for creatures like the white-spotted eagle ray should know that one was reeled in at East Coast Park in May.
Man Reels In Endangered Eagle Ray At East Coast, ACRES & Netizens Hope It Was Released After
It’s uncertain whether that catch was released to the sea or not, but at that time, many netizens urged the angled to do so.
1 year ago, a massive stingray was also hooked at Bedok Jetty.
Hopefully eagle ray won’t be disturbed
The OP was very lucky to catch the rare sight of a white-spotted eagle ray in such a publicly assessible spot like VivoCity.
However his posting his photos online has raised concerns that the creature will be hunted by the public.
Let’s hope the majestic spotted eagle ray will remain undisturbed.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
