The fisherman with his stingray. A man in his 60s paid $100 for its release. -- PHOTO: STOMP
AN ANIMAL lover paid $100 to buy a giant stingray caught off the East Coast - so he could release it back into the sea.
Mr Desmond Teo, who reported the incident on citizen journalism website Stomp, said he was cycling when he spotted a fisherman who had just hauled in an unusually big catch.
On closer inspection, he saw that it was a stingray estimated to weigh "around 20kg".
"It was huge. The fisherman said it took almost three hours to reel it in," Mr Teo said.
About 10 onlookers had gathered to witness the catch when a man in his 60s stepped up to offer $80 for the fish.
The fisherman rejected him before the man then offered $100 - on the condition that the fisherman release the stingray back into the wild.
"Even the fisherman was taken aback and so was I," said Mr Teo, 38, a real estate agent.
The rare catch was released after 10 minutes.
Mr Teo added: "I was really touched. Such acts of kindness are so rare in the world today."