Jellyfish warning signs to be put up in Tanjung Aru beach
Published on: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
By: Ricardo Unto
KOTA KINABALU: City Hall (DBKK) will install jellyfish warning signs in English and Chinese in Tanjung Aru beach. “To date, we have installed five warning signs along Beach One until Beach Three,” said DBKK Landscape Director Robert Lipon.
“The signs were installed to warn beachgoers against playing in the water due to the presence of jellyfish.
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“We noted that the beach is also frequented by foreign tourists, especially from China and South Korea. As such, we will soon install signs in other languages as well,” he said when met after a press conference on the city’s Kaamatan (Harvest) Festival, here, Monday.
The warning signs, said Robert, will remain until further notice.
He said the City Hall, to date, has not received any report on jellyfish sting cases.
“The situation is under control. We urge the public to refrain from playing in the water until further information from the authorities.”
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On Monday, State Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Junz Wong was reported saying that the jellyfish season is expected to last until May.
Wong said the State Fisheries Department has deployed a team from the Fisheries Biosecurity Office in Likas to investigate the blooming jellyfish in Tanjung Aru beach.
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He added that the team was able to tentatively identify one dominant jellyfish known as “obor-obor pasir”, a black spotted jellyfish.
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The tentacles of this species can cause itch and/or allergic reactions upon contact with skin, causing inflammation and swelling on affected body part of a victim.
Wong also advised the public against picking up dead jellyfish as it may still have live nematocysts that can still release toxins (even after they have dried up).