Five to cover 'man-eating' catfish
Pictures kindly supplied by Five.
Five, the British terrestrial TV station, is to cover a legendary 'man-eating catfish' from India in its Nature Shock series.The episode, called 'Flesh Eating River Monster' is investigating the deaths of three teenagers on a five mile stretch of northern India's Kali river, which have been attributed to a large predatory catfish.
Five told Practical Fishkeeping: "Eyewitnesses have only the briefest glimpse of a dark shape pulling the teenagers under, but this is enough to lead them to believe that the killer is a monster, shaped like a huge elongated pig able to swallow its victims whole.
"The Kali is a sacred Hindu river where cremations are conducted on the river bank. One theory is that the partially burned body parts discarded into the river may have fed this unidentified creature, giving it a taste for human flesh, and allowing it to grow to its massive size."
The programme features biologist Jeremy Wade, who uses "all his cunning and experience - as well as high tech sonar and a mini submarine" to search for the giant catfish, which can reach over 2m/6'6" in length.
Five said: "In the end it's man against beast, as Jeremy literally puts his own life on the line as he wades into the deadly waters of the Kali River and tries to pull one of these monsters onto dry land."
The Goonch, which is a species of catfish from the Bagarius genus, is a member of the Sisoridae family and lives in deep holes in fast-flowing rivers in south east Asia.
Juveniles of Bagarius bagarius and Bagarius yarelli are sometimes offered for sale in the aquarium trade.
The series is due to start on October 14 at 8.00pm on Five.
This article may not be reproduced without permission.
Matt Clarke: 9.10.2008Views: Read 30,511 times
Comments feed
"Most deffinitly one to watch
I loved the jungle hooks series with Jeremy Wade
So the Nature Shock episode can only be the same high standards.
"
Date: Thursday October 9th, 2008, 3:30 pm
"I can't wait to see this."
Posted by: Joanne Anderson - 1 year, 1 month agoDate: Thursday October 9th, 2008, 8:25 pm
"will have to watch that :D
really enjoyed watching the jungle hooks series, cant wait to watch this. "
Date: Thursday October 9th, 2008, 9:59 pm
"sky + ' ing this one!"
Posted by: Tom Littlewood - 1 year, 1 month agoDate: Thursday October 9th, 2008, 10:36 pm
"Certainly sounds interesting!
It seems that it's on the 21st rather than the 14th of October...
Well according to the Radio Times website. I'm recording both incase it's wrong!"
Date: Friday October 10th, 2008, 5:51 pm
"i bet Richard Hardwicks got one that size at home ! lol"
Posted by: Paul Deadman - 1 year, 1 month agoDate: Friday October 10th, 2008, 7:16 pm
"I don't understand. I watched this programme last night and it was about a hybrid bear!?! When is the catfish episode on then?"
Posted by: Tom Littlewood - 1 year, 1 month agoDate: Wednesday October 15th, 2008, 2:16 pm
"The catfish programme is on next week."
Posted by: Athena Slater - 1 year, 1 month agoDate: Friday October 17th, 2008, 10:52 am
Please login to leave a comment
Login
 | Editor-in-Chief, Matt Clarke, writes the regular Interesting Imports column on rare and unusual fish in the UK aquarium trade. He's kept fish for 30 years and holds a degree, two higher degrees and two diplomas in fish biology, taxonomy and computational biology. |
| More articles by Matt Clarke » | |
.jpg)
"I've watched Jeremy Wade go after Goonch before, on his fishing series Jungle Hooks India. He also fished for Arapaima in the Amazon, in the original Jungle Hooks.
Posted by: Jeremy Gay - 1 year, 1 month agoThese programs are great for enlightening us as to the habitats of these Indian river fish.
While watching the last program I saw that Goonch inhabit the same rivers as Mahseer, Tor spp. I think that Sperata aor are in the same rivers too.
One of the reasons that these two massive catfish species are in those rivers, and have mouths that big, is to eat Mahseer and its relatives.
Amazing catfish, and it will probably be great viewing."
Date: Thursday October 9th, 2008, 2:02 pm