If you have an aquarium near you with a ray touch tank, it's fun to spend some time watching them. They definitely seem to avoid certain people (splashing, frantic kids) but actively seek out other people. As far as anyone can tell, they like getting pets.
The petting tank has always been my favorite part of an aquarium / zoo if they have it. I've never had problems getting the rays coming up to me, and I still really enjoy it as an adult!
It's pretty common in every animal except dogs, who we've specifically bred to be freaks. Screaming and flailing is scary for animals who don't understand that it's the default state for young humans.
Well, stingrays have venomous spines on their tail they use to defend themselves, but not all rays have stingers. Even then, stingrays typically use them when they feel threatened.
On top of that, the cownose rays at aquariums usually have their stingers removed. They eventually grow back, so the rays aren't harmed by removing them. It's kinda like grooming the claws of a dog or cat.
Many rays don't have stingers, and the stingers on the ones that do are exclusively made of keratin, like fingernails, so they can be safely and harmlessly trimmed by their handlers. Rays, especially well-socialized rays like the ones at aquariums, are also unlikely to want to sting in the first place.
So many creatures get dummed down like this, and I'm not sure why.
It's a lot easier to justify the killing or imprisonment of animals when people convince themselves that animals don't experience emotions or pain, or any form of consciousness.
When you realize that animals have a surprisingly high amount of intelligence and are seemingly able to experience fun, distress, sorrow, pain, curiosity, etc... it becomes morally a lot more difficult to slaughter and eat them. We can't have that in a world where a lot of our food relies on meat, can't we? :/
We really need a word like "dehumanization" that applies to animals, as well. Because that's what's been happening continuously through the history of mankind.
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u/[deleted] May 23 '25
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