Box Jellyfish In Isolation Videos
Travel and tourism are in lockdown and the world's wanderlust is peaking. Novel coronavirus restrictions have severely wounded the industry, mortally in some cases, but when the recovery (of sorts) comes, those that want and can will getaway quick.
While many, sadly, are struggling to pay the bills, others are planning more than ever to travel, if they're not still trying to claim on and recoup recently cancelled trips.
Thanks to the isolation jitters and endless screen-filling images of beautiful, clean, deserted cities, forests, skies and seas with carefree wildlife running rampant, everyone wants to scratch that itch.
And no one wants a bummer now, right. But. Yes, the wildlife really is wandering far and wide and with significantly less activity in the water at tourist-box jellyfish hotspots, the risk of a sting could be even higher when humans steadily return to natural box jellyfish habitat; the picture postcard tropical South-East Asian beach.
Fragile but venomous box jellyfish being swimmers not drifters or floaters, and the fact they have a visual system that allows them to detect and avoid damaging obstacles - like rocks and tourists - means there is nothing to stop them.
Subsequent to writing, while the world continues to grapple with the pandemic and Thailand remains off-limits to fly-in tourists, a local fisherman has tragically died from box jellyfish stings on the Rayong coast, south-east of Pattaya, as reported by the Department of Marine & Coastal Resources (27 July, 2020).
Box jellyfish remain an official cause for concern as reaffirmed by the following videos including a just-released Thailand Government production.
Vitally important in dealing with this problem is dealing only with the facts and their video offers an excellent assessment of Thailand's progress and position in box jellyfish management.
It is perhaps a good opportunity to reinforce an over-riding fact. In this age of so much inexcusable ignorance, dangerous misinformation and fake news about COVID-19 prevention and treatment, let's take the tin foil hats off to box jellyfish.
With box jellyfish stings, it is vinegar that saves lives. Not urine, not cola, not any fizzy drink, not even fresh water nor ice or vodka, meat tenderiser, shaving cream, disinfectant, a credit card, nor sand, morning glory vine paste or a gluey chilli, lime and crab mixture, all on a wing and a prayer. These can and have directly caused serious adverse effects, including death. Fact.
Vinegar, and only at least a 30-second splashing of vinegar on the sting site, will stop further life-threatening stinging. Plenty of info about this and other box jellyfish news throughout this blog.
In the meantime, keep dreaming, get planning and please stay safe.
Thailand Box Jellyfish Youtube Videos:
Images from linked video:
Huge Box Jellyfish seen in Sentosa marina (Singapore 3/7/20). Could it be that SW Monsoon conditions bring them to the region?
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