Box Jellyfish kills young boy.

[dingo]

Parents are being warned to keep their children out of the water during stinger season after a 6 year old boy died after being stung near the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin.
The boy collapse and was taken to hospital where staff were unable to revive him

Very sad indeed.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=321973

 

[Buzz Mills]

Parents are being warned to keep their children out of the water during stinger season after a 6 year old boy died after being stung near the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin.
The boy collapse and was taken to hospital where staff were unable to revive him

Very sad indeed.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=321973

I've watched a documentary on the box jellyfish Dingo; and they are really nasty deadly creatures.

 

[dingo]

They are Buzz..and they are just another reason why I stay out of the ocean.

 

[Nova]

They are Buzz..and they are just another reason why I stay out of the ocean.

Since the stinger season runs "October through May," I think you're wise, Dingo. Very sad indeed. Sounds like a horrible way to die.

 

[Peter Hamilton]

That's terrible news--very sad--prayers to his family

 

[dingo]

Since the stinger season runs "October through May," I think you're wise, Dingo. Very sad indeed. Sounds like a horrible way to die.

Theres far too many bitey things in our waters for me to ever feel comfortable about going in.

 

[Buzz Mills]

That's terrible news--very sad--prayers to his family

I didn't read the article but if he died quickly, it was merciful. The box jellyfish poison is very peristent and the documentary showed victims who went through ten days of pure hell, and lived to tell about it.

 

[southcitymom]

Oh, dingo, how sad! I have to say that I have never even heard of a box jellyfish.

I've been stung a fair few times by the little ones in the ocean off the coast of SC. When I was 10 or 11 a good friend of mine was swimming in the ocean off Seabrook Island, SC where we were in summer camp. She was stung by the tentacle of a large Man-of-War on her uppper right arm. She was okay, but the scarring was brutal - and it's just as bad today - some 30 years later.

Prayers for this little boy's family. My heart breaks for anyone who perishes at the hand of the ocean - so beautiful and so deadly.

 

[dingo]

Hi South..it is a very sad and sensless death.

 

[Anngelique]

Oh this is so sad! I feel for this poor family.

I've been stung by the Portugese Man-O-Wars in Hawaii many times, and they hurt! In fact they were so painful that the last couple years I lived in Hawaii it was hard to get me anywhere near the water. I was allergic to the sting and it made me swell something horrible.

 

[englishleigh]

Poor little guy. How terrible. Praying for his parents.

 

[Texana]

Theres far too many bitey things in our waters for me to ever feel comfortable about going in.

And out of the water as well. Don't you have the most poisonous snakes in the world just hanging around?

 

[dingo]

We do have some bad *advertiser censored* snakes down here Texana and youre never quite sure when one will turn up,we are not allowed to kill them though as they are protected.

 

[Buzz Mills]

We do have some bad *advertiser censored* snakes down here Texana and youre never quite sure when one will turn up,we are not allowed to kill them though as they are protected.

I like documentaries Dingo, and have seen a lot from down under; they are always great; you guys are legendary.

 

[CaliKid]

I've watched shows on the Box Jellyfish. Don't you have beaches with nets across them to protect swimmers? October to May- that's your entire summer.

 

[Shazza]

I've watched shows on the Box Jellyfish. Don't you have beaches with nets across them to protect swimmers? October to May- that's your entire summer.

There are a few beaches that I know off that are netted for the safety of swimmers, but most beaches are not, especially the popular beaches like Bondi beach in Sydney. But most of these beaches are patrolled by life guards throughout our summer, but they are limited to what they can see in the ocean, they put flags up for swimmers to swim in between which has been deemed safe to swim in, we also have shark spotting planes that do the rounds.

 

[Buzz Mills]

There are a few beaches that I know off that are netted for the safety of swimmers, but most beaches are not, especially the popular beaches like Bondi beach in Sydney. But most of these beaches are patrolled by life guards throughout our summer, but they are limited to what they can see in the ocean, they put flags up for swimmers to swim in between which has been deemed safe to swim in, we also have shark spotting planes that do the rounds.

They showed some box jellyfish that were miniscule - you would need a very fine net to keep them out - the one species they showed was the size of a finger nail, with 3 inch tentacles - very small, but deadly.

 

[Shazza]

They showed some box jellyfish that were miniscule - you would need a very fine net to keep them out - the one species they showed was the size of a finger nail, with 3 inch tentacles - very small, but deadly.

Check this out Buzz, its quite scary.

http://www.yesaustralia.com/Curiosidades-animaising.htm

 

[Buzz Mills]

Check this out Buzz, its quite scary.

http://www.yesaustralia.com/Curiosidades-animaising.htm

Thanks Shazza; that's really a great summary of the dangerous critters in Aussyland. I liked the description of the pain experienced, "you won't need the sirens." Only 8 out of 10 of the world's deadliest snakes.....it's a good thing the ladies here aren't afraid of a few little snakes - but some of yours are pretty big.

 

[Shazza]

Thanks Shazza; that's really a great summary of the dangerous critters in Aussyland. I liked the description of the pain experienced, "you won't need the sirens." Only 8 out of 10 of the world's deadliest snakes.....it's a good thing the ladies here aren't afraid of a few little snakes - but some of yours are pretty big.

The snakes dont worry me as much as the spiders, they just freak me out looking at them, hubby was doing some gardening a little while ago and found a redback spider, which can make you very very sick, even lethal.
Redbacks are very common here, we do see a lot of them.

They even classify the good ole Aussie Kangaroo as being dangerous, they do cause a lot of car accidents, or very bad damage to your vehicle if you hit one.
I have to drive about 50km to the next town to work sometimes and in the first 10km I counted 10 dead kangaroos on the road. As cute as they are, they can be a menace.