KILLER CATFISH IN KATMANDU!

Picture the scene: It’s a hot, balmy day in India, the sun’s rays beat
down, prickling the skin. A meandering river ahead looks inviting, and
although it’s not the clearest water in the world, a cool, refreshing
dip would soothe the effects of the midday sun.

A word of warning: don’t do it! Otherwise you may fall prey to a
fearsome, grotesque monster waiting in the depths. Or so residents
near the Great Kali River believe.

It is thought that a stretch of the river, popular with adventurers
seeking the thrills of white water rafting, is home to a killer mutant
fish. Locals in the India-Nepal border region have been convinced
there is something untoward lingering in the river for many years but,
recently, when an 18-year-old Nepalese boy was dragged down into the
depths by something described as an ‘elongated pig’, events were
finally investigated.

A TV presenter and biologist, Jeremy Wade, investigated the mysterious
disappearances for a documentary and discovered a huge type of
catfish, called a goonch, may be responsible for the carnage.

For centuries, the river has been used in Hindu ceremonies – like the
Ganges, bodies are totally immersed in the river to help send their
soul to heaven – with local residents releasing their loved ones into
the water after the funeral pyres have gone out. The giant fish, one
of the biggest fresh water fish in existence, may have developed an
uncanny taste for human flesh after feasting on the remains of burnt
corpses. Now unsuspecting bathers cooling off in the Kali are at risk
of becoming fish food.



http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com...des-nepal/2738

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com...ing-mutant-fis...

Picture the scene: It’s a hot, balmy day in India, the sun’s rays beat
down, prickling the skin. A meandering river ahead looks inviting, and
although it’s not the clearest water in the world, a cool, refreshing
dip would soothe the effects of the midday sun.

A word of warning: don’t do it! Otherwise you may fall prey to a
fearsome, grotesque monster waiting in the depths. Or so residents
near the Great Kali River believe.

It is thought that a stretch of the river, popular with adventurers
seeking the thrills of white water rafting, is home to a killer mutant
fish. Locals in the India-Nepal border region have been convinced
there is something untoward lingering in the river for many years but,
recently, when an 18-year-old Nepalese boy was dragged down into the
depths by something described as an ‘elongated pig’, events were
finally investigated.


Normal Sized Goonch

A TV presenter and biologist, Jeremy Wade, investigated the mysterious
disappearances for a documentary and discovered a huge type of
catfish, called a goonch, may be responsible for the carnage.

For centuries, the river has been used in Hindu ceremonies – like the
Ganges, bodies are totally immersed in the river to help send their
soul to heaven – with local residents releasing their loved ones into
the water after the funeral pyres have gone out. The giant fish, one
of the biggest fresh water fish in existence, may have developed an
uncanny taste for human flesh after feasting on the remains of burnt
corpses. Now unsuspecting bathers cooling off in the Kali are at risk
of becoming fish food.

Wade said: “The locals have told me of a theory that this monster has
grown extra large on a diet of partially burnt corpses. It has perhaps
got this taste for flesh by feasting on remains of funeral pyres.
There will be a few freak individuals that grow bigger than the other
ones and if you throw in extra food, they will grow even bigger.”

Smile for the camera

On a trip to the area, Wade caught one of the scavenging beasts which
measured almost 6 feet long and weighed a shocking 161lb, which to
date is a world record weight for this species of fish.

“If that got hold of you, there’d be no getting away,” said Wade.

Funny, don’t public swimming pools look so much more inviting now?

(Photos at website)

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com...des-nepal/2738

The goonch catfish is a angle built-in to the Great Kali River that runs amid India and Nepal. This angle was around alien by anyone until 2010 if the Animal Planet television appearance River Monsters hosted by Jeremy Wade featured the goonch catfish on his television show.