Cayman Islands: Wild Stingrays are Adapting to Tourists’ Handouts

By Larry Habegger and Laurie Weed | Permalink | No Comments | March 19th, 2013 | Trackback

Feeding the wild sting rays has become a popular attraction on Grand Cayman, and not just with tourists. A recent study of the free-swimming rays at “Stingray City,” a cluster of shallow sandbars on the island’s north side, showed that most of the rays in the area had reversed their natural, nocturnal feeding behaviors to take advantage of the regular tour boat offerings of packaged squid. Also, the animals have become so accustomed to human contact that visitors can touch and interact with them. Since feeding or “baiting” sea animals such as rays and whale sharks has become a tourism trend worldwide, the ray study prompts questions about the effect on the animals’ natural behavior and long-term health.

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