Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News
Four fishermen spent 90 minutes reeling in a huge endangered 44-stone freshwater stingray in a river in Malaysia.
The giant 280-kilogramme (617-lb or 44-stone) stingray was caught at the Lundu River in the town of the same name in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak.
According to local media, 42-year-old fisherman Azeri Hipni and his pals set a net in the river earlier that morning.
He told reporters: “It took us about an hour and a half to wrestle the fish before managing to defeat it and bringing it to Jeti Nelayan Lundu.”
Hipni told local media that they had caught giant freshwater stingrays before, but this was the first time they had caught one so large.
He added that the fishermen were exhausted after the catch as they are fasting for Ramadan, but called it a great blessing.
According to reports, the ray was a giant freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis).
The Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorises giant freshwater stingrays as ‘endangered’.
They are commonly found in the waters around Cambodia, Borneo, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia.
According to reports, there are indications that stingray numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years as their river habitats have been severely degraded.
It is unclear if the fishermen face any sanctions or if the authorities are investigating.
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