Stingray or 'slingray'? Photo of motorcyclist with fish hanging on his back amuses netizens

When Captain America rode into battle on his Harley-Davidson with his iconic shield slung on his back, it was an impressive movie scene.

But when this man rode along a road in Pasir Ris with a stingray strapped to his back, netizens found it amazing for quite different reasons.

A photo shared on Reddit today (Aug 3) by user Neslo_ice depicted a man riding a motorcycle — stopped at a red light — with a large stingray riding pillion.

"Biker transports stingray by strapping it to himself," the title of his post read.

In the photo, the biker has tied multiple knots around the stingray using black ropes, forming an H-shaped sling that he used to lock the stingray on his back.

The stingray, which looks to have a wingspan of about one-and-a-half torsos, also doesn't have its tail visible in the photo.

Biker transports stingray by strapping it to himself
by u/neslo_ice in singapore

Netizens who picked up on this felt that there might be a risk involved in the biker's method of transporting the stingray.

"Isn't that prime position to get Irwin-ed in the posterior?" One user asked, alluding to the Australian television personality and conservationist, Steve Irwin, who unfortunately died after a stingray's barb pierced his chest in 2006.

[[nid:606527]]

Another also felt his appearance was similar to that of Captain America, referring to the motorcyclist as "Captain Stingray".

"I guess you could call it a... 'slingray'," a user humorously ventured.

While some found the sight hilarious, others were more taken by the thought of what might come after — eating the stingray.

"Going to stop at NTUC to get a bottle of sambal chili first," a Redditor jokingly guessed.

"Sambal stingray, ikan pari bakar (BBQ stingray), asam pedas ikan pari (stingray with spicy and sour sauce).... possibilities are endless," another user said, listing different dishes that utilise stingrays.

Regardless of what the biker intends to do with the stingray, catching a large one is typically no mean feat.

Catch, cook or release?

In June, a TikTok video by user Mermaidmanandsailorboy showed a group of anglers struggling to lift a stingray out of the water after hooking onto it with a fishing rod.

In their desperation, they decided to use long poles with large hooks at the end to lift the fish onto the jetty.

After 45 minutes of repeated attempts, the group gave up and released the stingray, which was left bleeding — a sight that outraged many netizens.

"What's the point? You know so well you can't lift up a heaving stingray and you still [try to] do it, and leave the poor stingray with so much injuries," a user complained.

Due to their lower reproduction rates, stingrays and sharks are recommended to be released when caught, local marine conservation group Marine Stewards shared.

Additionally, some species of stingrays are endangered, while the consumption of some other species ought to be avoided due to "significant environmental concerns", according to the Marine Conservation Society.

[[nid:583492]]

khooyihang@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.