St. Louis aquarium planning exhibit of 'sting-free' rays

ST. LOUIS -- Visitors to the World Aquarium in downtown St. Louis will still get a chance to rub elbows with graceful stingrays that now have a bad rap.

A stingray exhibit was supposed to open in early September, but was postponed when "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was killed by one the same week.

World Aquarium president Leonard Sonnenshine said they're back on track and planning to open a modified version of the display later this month.

"We rethought the entire exhibit as a memorial to Steve," Sonnenshine said. "It's a tragic thing about his loss, and what we're trying to do is really promote the same thing Steve did, which is the wonderment of animals, the wonderment of nature."

The World Aquarium guarantees visitors' safety -- the stingrays had their barbs removed.