On Saturday evening, Chantelle Jensen and her friend Bek Sinclaire were enjoying a picnic down at Cannonvale Beach with Chantelle’s mum when they saw a couple trying to free a stingray which had become trapped in the nearby stinger net.
Eventually, the couple gave up trying to set it free so the girls walked over to see if they could help.
When they arrived the baby sting ray was clearly distressed as it had likely been stuck in the net for hours due to an extremely low tide.
The girls found a couple of sticks which they used to untangle the ray and lever it free.
“We were a bit worried about its barb at first,” said Chantelle.
“We were really cautious about where we were holding him and made sure we knew where the barb was at all times.”
Using her mum’s scarf, Chantelle and Bek were able to move the stingray into a makeshift stretcher with the help of two young girls who came to assist.
They then carried the ray to safety, carefully making the long trek to the shoreline which was over 100 metres away.
Eventually, they got to the water and placed it in the shallows.
“It took some time to move as it was quite stressed,” said Chantelle.
“But it was definitely breathing, I think it just needed a bit of time to chill out as it had been stuck out there for a few hours.”
Chantelle said she was really pleased to help an animal in distress and that she believes everyone should do the same if it is safe to do so.
Chantelle and Bek with the two young girls, Kaidence and Becky, who came to help
