An Australian fisherman has survived being stabbed in the chest by a stingray

ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) - An Australian fisherman has survived
being stabbed in the chest by a stingray, the marine creature that
killed Aussie crocodile hunter Steve Irwin two months ago, police
said.

The fisherman was on board a prawn trawler off the coast of South
Australia when the usually-placid creature on Wednesday plunged one
of its razor-sharp tail barbs into the man's chest.

Police said the barb did not lodge in the fisherman's chest or cause
any respiratory problems and he was taken by ambulance to a nearby
hospital with minor injuries.

Stingrays are frequently caught up in fishermen's nets and have been
known to lash out when they land on the deck of a ship.

The incident occurred just two months after croc wrangler Irwin was
stabbed in the heart by a stingray as he snorkelled on the Great
Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia.

Irwin's death and the massive outpouring of grief prompted the
wildlife warrior's friends and family and conservation groups to
urge Australians not to take revenge on stingrays.