Yahoo News Freckles the viral manta ray is now 'doing well', says diver who rushed to her aid and removed dangerous fishing hooks
A stricken manta ray which went viral after “asking” divers to save her is now “doing well”, according to the man who rushed to her aid.
Freckles became an internet sensation when she flipped over apparently to show snorkellers the several metal fishing hooks that had become dangerously lodged close to her right eye.
Jake Wilton, having realised her peril, repeatedly dived down until he managed to remove the hooks.
Now underwater photographer Mr Wilton has told the BBC that Freckles is “doing well” after he returned to visit her in the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.
He said: “I went down for a dive and she stopped and hung around for about 30 seconds above me - it was pretty wild.
"They have self-awareness and can recognise individual manta rays, so she could have recognised me."
If the offending hooks had not been removed from Freckles’ eye, it could have become infected, leading to blindness and even death.
The three-metre ray is thought to be 30 years old.
Manta rays are among the most intelligent creatures in the ocean. Unlike stingrays, they don’t have an external spike and are totally harmless to humans.
