![baby manta ray baby manta ray](http://onebigphoto.com/uploads/2014/06/baby-manta-rays-indonesia.jpg)
Together we set out on a mission to expose the destruction of manta and mobula rays and put an end to the slaughter.Īs a first step, we created a short documentary called Manta Ray of Hope that brought this issue to the attention of world, . Hannah Med also joined, adding critical research and writing skills to the team. Mary O’Malley joined the team as project co-lead, adding one of the most committed, selfless, competent and effective forces in shark and ray conservation. The project is a joint initiative that includes top field investigators and leading scientists and researches, all working together to further the conservation of manta and mobula rays. WildAid and Shark Savers joined as founding partners of our new project called Manta Ray of Hope. It was immediately apparent that the situation was out of control and needed serious attention. When they were done, they dumped it on the beach where it was consumed by the waves. The children of the village tossed the baby around like a play toy, cheering and jostling in excitement. We watched as an unborn baby manta only 1 meter in width was cut from the womb of it’s lifeless mother, a giant and ancient female over 6 meters across. And when we thought the situation could not get any worse, it turned into a nightmare. The beach sand was saturated with blood as the bodies of 15 giant mantas were cut to pieces. More boats appeared and more mantas were pulled to the beach to be butchered. These too were dumped into the water and dragged ashore, The crowed cheered and the energy intensified as they set upon the dead mantas with knives. A boat pulled into the bay with the bodies of two giant mantas draped across the haul. We stood on the beach in heat of the afternoon sun, praying that the rest of the manta family had escaped this cruel fate…but that was not to be. With my face just one meter from the mantas eye, I watched as the final breath of life drained from its limp body…and in that final moment I saw a look of forgiveness and sorrow, sorrow for the senseless waste, the barbaric and brutal actions of humans, and the loss of yet another member of this vanishing species of gentle giants. Every muscle in the manta’s body instantly spasmed, then slowly relaxed.
![baby manta ray baby manta ray](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e2/89/a9/e289a9bdaa19feb7cb2b4df60b99bf2c--ty-beanie-beanie-babies.jpg)
The fisherman grabbed a rusty iron rod, and leaning over the edge of the boat, plunged the rod into the brain of the manta. I struggled to control my emotions as this grizzly scene unfolded but what happened next pushed me to the edge. Next the fishermen sliced a hole in the head of the struggling manta using the sharp blade of long butcher knife. The manta reached out to me as I had seen mantas do before underwater when I had interacted with them for hours on the vibrant reefs of Misool in Raja Ampat…but this time it was a desperate plea for help…and I was powerless to do anything. In that instant when I looked into its deep dark eye, I saw desperation, fear and confusion…the look of an innocent small child that has suffered a traumatic injury. And then, that moment, when the exhausted manta ray was pulled up along side the boat and our eyes connected. I cannot erase from my mind the images of the fisherman driving a barbed steel spearhead into the back of a fleeing giant manta ray, followed by the hour of struggle as the terribly wounded creature fought for it’s life…twisting and rolling in anguish, helplessly pulling against a thick rope held taught in the muscular arms of experienced fishermen. Spearhead lodges in manta with fisherman’s weight driving it in What we witnessed tore at our hearts, blackened our souls, and all but crushed what hope remained within us. But what we were not prepared for was the extent and brutality of the manta fisheries, and how the shark fin trader network had become the driving force behind this exploitation. This mission took us on an unforgettable journey, one that exposed us to constant danger, threat of violence, brutal conditions, exhaustion and incredible frustration.
![baby manta ray baby manta ray](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hBtsXeDDk-w/U68Df3B68GI/AAAAAAAAGJ8/3Hv-1BDQ4L0/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/IMG_5901.jpg)
Several years ago I teamed up with my good friend and uncompromising conservation photographer Paul Hilton, to expose this senseless destruction and to try to put an end to it. In the past 3 years I have traveled to the corners of the planet, to some of the most remote and inaccessible coastal regions, to document the unchecked and often secret slaughter of one of the most graceful, charismatic, gentle and vulnerable of marine species…the Manta Ray. Warning: This journal contains disturbing imagery and narrative. Will the killing stop before it is too late?