Jellyfish Swarms Target North Wales Coastline
North Wales seems to have been targeted by scores of jellyfish washing up along the shoreline. The area which has been affected the most is along the seafront which is between the Nova Center in Prestatyn and Splash Point at Rhyl. Locals are astonished to see the jellyfish swarms on their beaches, and beach-goers have been warned to watch out for these poisonous creatures.
At least 30 of these jellyfish were spotted in one afternoon by beach-goers who were sunning themselves on the sand. And when the tide returned, another 20 were spotted on the beach. An eye witness told the Daily Post, “Today I have counted nearly 50 jellyfish on the beach.” He said “It is quite worrying because there’s plenty of people here and lots of children playing.”
The Denbighshire Council has cautioned locals to be vigilant.
A spokesman for the Council said, “Because of the current warm sunny spell, a number of jellyfish have been reported washed ashore along a small stretch of beach between Rhyl and Prestatyn.”
He also said, “With the weather expected to stay settled for the coming few days, the council is asking people to continue enjoying their visit to the beach but to be careful when they walk along beaches.”
A spokesman for the Holyhead Coastguard said, “It’s important to remember jellyfish tentacles carry stings and we would urge people not to touch them.”
Although most people are aware that jellyfish stings are venomous, everybody doesn’t always know how fatal they can be. It is commonly known that effective anti-venom for the sting of the jellyfish is yet to be found. The venom of the jellyfish attacks the skin, heart and the nervous system very rapidly. This leads to vomiting, rapidly raising blood pressure levels and heart rate, shooting muscle pains and cramps in the limbs, shooting pains in the chest, burning sensations on the skin, nausea, kidney and back pains and sweating, among others. The venom is supposed to be so painful that victims are often in a state of shock and drown, or they succumb to heart failure even before they reach the beach.
Among the most deadly jellyfish are the Box jellyfish, of which the Sea Wasp is the most lethal, and the Irukandji jellyfish. People are always advised not to touch the tentacles of any jellyfish as they carry the stingers. Anyone who gets stung by a jellyfish must immediately get medical attention.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2010/06/05/warning-to-beach-goers-as-swarms-of-jellyfish-wash-up-on-shore-55578-26592274/
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