Stingray carcass found in East End with apparent knife wounds

A fishing charter netted a gruesome discovery Wednesday, a stingray carcass with an apparent knife-wound.

Cayman 27 understands the butchered stingray was found in East End near the Gun Bay dock, already becoming food for crabs. The fisherman who found it told us his theory: someone caught it on the line, and killed it simply to get back the hook.

The Department of Environment wasted no time weighing in:

“This sad event should be a reminder to everyone that not only are stingrays protected in the Cayman Islands.” said senior research officer John Bothwell in an email. “They are a valuable part of [our] environmental tourism package and worth a lot alive, even the ones not at stingray city,” he added.

This butchering is reminiscent of a string of similar incidents earlier this year involving eagle rays.