Richard Branson Bitten by Stingray during Cayman Trip

Just as the Department of Tourism starts a campaign in the US about Cayman’s friendly stingrays, one of them gave Sir Richard Branson a hickey to remember when he was visiting Stingray City last week.

The millionaire tycoon claimed he was “bitten” while feeding and tagging rays with local ocean conservationist, Guy Harvey. While he was in Cayman, Sir Richard also walked into a glass door of a George Town jewelry store while shopping for a present for his wife and ended up with three stitches in his head.  

Although Branson first tweeted that he had been bitten by a shark, as the creatures belong to the same family, he posted a picture on his Twitter page and his blog of a typical Southern stingray hickey on his forearm.

Branson was in Cayman to promote eco-tourism in the Caribbean and his plans with Harvey to secure greater protection in the region for all species of shark.

Speaking about his experience at the Alternative Investment Summit last week, he said, “Although around 20% of the world’s land is protected, only one percent of the seas are. We want to get that to 20% or ideally 30% protected as marine reserve by 2030.”

Branson wrote on his blog, “We were surrounded by stingray, as well as stunning coral reefs and tropical fish. But the rays were feeding all around, and they mistook yours truly for their food. Suddenly I felt a painful sensation on my wrist – they have one heck of a painful kiss! Rays are actually part of the shark family, so I’ve now been kissed by a shark. We made it back to shore and I put on a brave face as I got some treatment.”

Given the number of visitor to Stingray City every week, a stingray hickey is very rare and the Department of Tourism recently began running a TV commercial campaign in the United States featuring the rays and the beautiful water around the Cayman Islands.

Source: Cayman News Service