The motorcyclist was seen carrying a stingray like a backpack in a viral image uploaded on July 25, 2023. - GARY SIM
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): No, this is not a promotion for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie, despite this motorist looking like a hero in a half-shell.
A viral image circulating online earlier this week of a motorcyclist with a stingray strapped to his back drew more than a few comparisons from online commenters to the beloved pizza-eating, wisecracking, anthropomorphic turtle superheroes we all know and love.
A man was seen carrying the 25kg ray like a backpack while on his motorbike at the intersection of Pasir Ris Industrial Drive 1, according to a report from Malay-language daily Berita Harian.
In an interview with Berita Harian, the 36-year-old man had caught the ray on the morning of July 22, along with two other broad cowtail rays weighing 19kg and 61kg.
The rays were then reportedly divided between the man and his friends, before being further shared with members of his family and neighbours and cooked in a variety of dishes.
While some might be tickled at the prospect of an unintentionally cartoonish Ninja Turtle cosplay, wildlife enthusiasts have urged local anglers to be more mindful when catching rays, as some species are classified as endangered in Singapore.
The ray in the image, which went viral when it was uploaded on last Tuesday, is likely to be either the critically endangered broad cowtail ray (Pastinachus ater) or cowtail ray (Pastinachus sephen), said a spokesman from conservation non-profit organisation Marine Stewards in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The broad cowtail ray is classified as critically endangered in the Singapore Red Data Book and vulnerable by International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. The cowtail ray is listed as Near Threatened under IUCN, and is not listed in the Red Data Book.
Species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List are “considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild”, while those that are critically endangered face an “extremely high risk of extinction in the wild”.
The Singapore Red Data Book provides information such as the scientific and common names, IUCN global status, national conservation status and description of each plant and animal species. It uses the same evaluation metrics and references the international status, but also assigns a local status for the animal.
“Generally, stingrays have low birth rates, and are susceptible to fishing pressure. So, anglers can consider to release them,” said the Marine Stewards spokesman.
ST has contacted NParks for more information.
In 2021, a video clip of an endangered eagle ray being reeled in at East Coast Park went viral, with multiple images and videos showing the ray being dragged along a jetty.
