Giant manta rays are incredible creatures, but this manta ray in the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia did something highly unusual for a wild animal, especially a sea creature.
The manta ray had been injured by fishing hooks and swam to a diver she knew to ask for help. Had local tour guide Jake Wilton not been on hand to help, the creature’s injuries would have resulted in infection, blindness, and death.
“That manta absolutely understood what was going on,” said Monty Halls, a marine biologist on the boat. “Jake went down again and again and she just remained still for him.”
Jake is a kind and helpful guide who believes in treating the animals he encounters with respect. And it’s evident that they feel the same way towards him. That’s what happens when their’s mutual respect between humankind and nature.
“I’m often guiding snorkelers in the area and it’s as if she recognized me and was trusting me to help her,” Jake said. “She got closer and closer and then started unfurling to present the eye to me. I knew we had to get the hooks out or she would have been in big trouble. I went for a few dives down to see how she’d react to me being close to her. The manta stayed completely still in the water.”
Even veteran marine biologists are amazed by this giant manta ray’s behavior. A manta ray is one of the smartest creatures on the planet, but still, this was most unexpected.
“It’s pretty incredible behaviour if this is what happened,” said David Boyle, marine biologist and university lecturer. “It’s not uncommon for animals – generally mammals – to interact with divers but for one in distress to seek out assistance would be novel indeed.”
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