Traveler Warning: Those Deadly Jelly Fish
I’ve always had an interest in Australia. In fact when my wife and I were on our honeymoon in San Francisco in 1953, we visited the Australian Consulate and were given immediate permission to migrate there. Being more chickenhearted than my forbearers I never went.
The wildlife is what interested me in Australia, especially the birds.
Not being a great swimmer like my wife, I was never overly interested in wading into the surf. However, I surely would have given the opportunity. That is, before I saw a television wildlife adventure showing scientist, who had been stunk by minute jellyfish, in intensive care shaking, sweating, suffering from intense pain, and threatening to die. These brave two, a young man and a young woman, were studying such critters.
Jellyfish toxins are the most dangerous in the world to us humans. The little jellyfish must paralyze and kill its prey instantly to be effective. The little fishy must not be the one who got away.
We are use to jellyfish in the United States. Ours are bigger and the lifeguards can warn us to get out of the water. Not so with some Australian species. You can’t even see them they are so tiny. If you are stung, After Bite® from your local drugstore may not do the trick.
Travelers might visit Internet sites such as http://www.bugbog.com/travel_safety/dangerous_animals/jellyfish_stings.html before visiting places where dangerous jellyfish reside. If you have a heart problem, you might stay out of the water where jellyfish abound. Most deaths are from cardiac arrest.
Here is a nice site, easier to read than the one above, that will give you some chit chat from people who live near the critters: http://abcasiapacific.com/englishbites/stories/s1229942.htm. This site will also give you the facts of risk and what you should do to protect yourself.
John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine. He is Executive Representative of IWS sellers of Tyler Hicks wealth-success books and kits. He also sells TopFlight flagpoles. He calls himself "Taylor Jones, the hack writer."
More info: http://www.tjbooks.com
Business web site: http://www.aaaflagpoles.com
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