Totally Wild - Ray Release

Ray Release

Date:09/01/2009

Pip jumps aboard a boat to help release rays back into the ocean.

Being a part of the TW team means we get a lot of backstage passes. We get to do things that many people don't get an opportunity to do- like getting up close and personal with amazing animals! And for the first time I was lucky enough to be a part of an animal release.

I got to tag along for the a ride of mixed emotions as Underwater World said goodbye to some much loved family members… 6 blotched fantail rays.

The rays were all bred at UWW and as it seemed they were getting a little too big for their boots, or should I say tank, it was time to let them run free in the deep blue.

After catching them in their tanks with a stretcher and tagging them, we made our way out off the coast of Mooloolaba in Queensland- an area chosen because it was where their parents were originally found and because of the abundance of tasty ray food!

It takes a lot of preparation and paperwork to release animals into the ocean, but on the big day the rays dove deep in the blink of an eye.

Definitely an experience I won't be forgetting in a hurry!!

Pip x