In a shallow reef close to New Zealand\u2019s east coast shore, a group of 30 people wearing khaki overalls and boots huddle together like a crescent moon, waiting for the stars of the show to arrive.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t have to wait long.<\/p>\n
Six eagle rays and short-tailed stingrays \u2013 some weighing over 300kg – glide through the green waters to the group where they brush up against legs and, with the force of a vacuum-cleaner, slurp fish off submerged hands.<\/p>\n
If the group had initially felt trepidation about encountering these animals in the wild, their minds are soon changed.<\/p>\n
Guides do not know which stingrays will show up for the reef ecology tours near Gisborne. Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n
\u201cStingrays are like big sea puppy pancakes,\u201d says Bella, 19, who in January joined New Zealand\u2019s only wild stingray experience, run by Dive Tatapouri near Gisborne. \u201cThey were all so loving to the people and the staff, they just wanted pats and cuddles,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was the coolest thing I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bella, who wished to give her first name only, said interacting with the species was \u201cunreal\u201d and had changed her perspective on the creatures.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would never expect to have a stingray literally right by my feet and petting it, it was honestly breathtaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n
New Zealand is home to three coastal stingray species, which are abundant and frequently spotted cruising harbours and coastlines. There are few places around the world where people can safely interact with the creatures in their natural habitat.<\/p>\n
Owner of Dive Tatapouri Dean Savage \u2013 a former commercial diver and underwater cameraman \u2013 started the business more than 20 years ago but his affinity with stingrays developed much earlier as a child watching his father, another diver, interact with the animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew the image of the stingray and the reality of the stingray were two different things,\u201d Savage says.<\/p>\n
Dive Tatapouri owners Chris and Dean Savage. Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n
With a desire to share this knowledge, Savage and his wife Chris turned their former kina \u2013 or sea urchin \u2013 processing facility into an eco-tourism business. The nearby shallow reef, home to a stingray nursery, made it uniquely located to develop a wild stingray experience.<\/p>\n
For Savage, the stingrays are \u201cnot just a performing animal\u201d. They are free to come and go, or interact with people as they please, he says, adding that he ensures the animals do not become dependent on the business for food by limiting the number and length of interactions during the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are times during the year when we may not interact with animals for a month or six weeks, or limited times during the winter so that they can look out for themselves,\u201d Savage says. \u201cWe never get to the point where they totally rely on us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey actually live in this environment, so its not hard to get them to come and hang out with the crew,\u201d Savage says, adding the stingrays pick up on the movement of people into the water and will come to investigate. The group then has the option to feed the stingrays a piece of fish.<\/p>\n
Visitors are instructed to stand still and allow the animals to leave when they are ready. They are briefed on how to handle the stingrays gently and if anyone disrespects the animals, they are removed from the tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the reef animals must be treated with respect \u2013 it is our responsibility as kaitiaki [guardians].\u201d<\/p>\n
The resident stingrays, some of which are more than 20 years old, have become so familiar to Savage they now have names, including Pancake, Waffle, Hine and Charlie.<\/p>\n
New Zealand is home to three coastal stingray species, found in harbours and coastlines. Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all have different markings and traits \u2013 Charlie likes climbing up on you and getting a bit bloody boisterous; some are very laidback and just sit at your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concerns over wildlife tourism have emerged in recent years, with communities and scientists fearful too much human contact could disrupt eco-systems and animal behaviour<\/a>, introduce infections, or compel animals to become too reliant on people for food.<\/p>\n But if the animals and environment are handled with care and the tourism operator informs visitors of the threats species face, it can be a \u201cgood conservation advocacy tool\u201d, says Clinton Duffy, the marine biology curator at Auckland Museum.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as people get some sort of education through these sorts of experiences, there should be an overall benefit to the species,\u201d Duffy says.<\/p>\n It can also help humans engage more deeply with the world around them. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard for people to feel any empathy for animals that they have no knowledge of or no direct contact with,\u201d he says. \u201cSpecies like [stingrays] can be good ambassadors for marine conservation generally.\u201d<\/p>\n The perception stringrays are aggressive has likely been influenced by the death<\/a> of Australian naturalist Steve Irwin, who was killed by a stingray in 2006<\/a>. But while they can inflict nasty wounds, and in some cases, kill, they are curious, gentle creatures, and \u201creally intelligent for a fish\u201d, Duffy says.<\/p>\n People gather at Tatapouri for the ecology tour. Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n Stingrays, or whai in M\u0101ori language, hold significant cultural, spiritual and ecological importance to M\u0101ori. The North Island, or Te Ika-a-M\u0101ui \u2013 the fish of Maui \u2013 is likened to the shape of stingray, while for many communities, stingrays are viewed as protectors of the coast and shellfish.<\/p>\n Educating visitors about the stingrays\u2019 importance to M\u0101ori and how to treat them with respect, can help instil a deeper care for the creatures, while allowing people to reconnect with nature, Savage says.<\/p>\n Clinton Duffy, the marine biology curator at Auckland Museum, says species like stingrays \u2018can be good ambassadors for marine conservation\u2019. Photograph: Derek Morrison<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a deep experience for a lot of people,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are not many places you can go and have a 300kg animal nudge your feet with no ill intent, while genuinely wanting to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a shallow reef close to New Zealand\u2019s east coast shore, a group of 30 people wearing khaki…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":{"0":"post-455759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}