"sting" Ray Question

[Breeze7050]

Hello! Ive been pondering this lately. Im not trying to start a fight or make any one angry. Just an out of curiousity question!!
I recall going to sea world, years ago and petting stingrays that had their stingers removed. My question to you all (who own them or know about them), why can you not do that with the aquarium stingrays? Im assuming this is because it is cruel??
Again, just a question out of sheer curiosity as it seems a bit safer to own one with no stinger!!!
Have a good one and thanks for the thought!

 

[starrynightxxi]

what i hear is that the barbs are not removed, just clipped, and that it is no different than clipping your fingernails, so not at all painful, though it is likely a stressful experience nonetheless. I doubt that it isn't done in the hobbyist tank because it's cruel, but rather because hobbyists have very little need to be handling rays, whereas if they are being touched constantly, the precaution is understandable.

 

[Breeze7050]

thanks starry. Makes sense to me!

 

[my fat fish]

the rason is mainly that animal right piss heads decyded that they dident liek the idea of us touching them and kicked up a big din about it and had it made illegal to touch them uness autherised.
from what i was told rays acyally like the contact and are attreaced to moving hands in/over the water.

in my opinion i reckon thta a load of animal rights dudes went to a sea life center and dident get a chance 2 pet them were proberly pused to the back by the crowds so they got all mardy and made it so no one was allowed bas****s

 

[pica_nuttalli]

what on earth are you talking about, fat fish? no one's said that they closed down the petting tanks.

although i always skip out on that particular exhibit; it can't be good for the rays/starfish/horseshoe crabs to be continually touched by hands that have who-knows-what all over them. i'm not bothered enough to make everyone else skip out but i personally don't participate. petting tanks do have one good attribute: they distract the riff-raff from first row of the really good exhibits.