London, Dec 29 (IANS) A predator fish has reportedly killed two men by biting off their testicles, according to a British angler.
Jeremy Wade, 53, spent weeks hunting for the fish in Papua New Guinea after locals reported a ‘mysterious beast’ which was castrating young fishermen, said the Daily Mail.
Wade identified it as the Pacu fish — known locally as ‘The Ball Cutter’ — and caught one weighing around 18 kg in his fishing boat.
The ‘Ball Cutter’ has a set of human-like molar teeth, said Wade, who is making a new TV series called ‘River Monsters’.
At least two fishermen have bled to death after being bitten by the fish.
‘I had heard of a couple of fishermen in Papua New Guinea who had been castrated by something in the water. The bleeding was so severe that they died. The locals told me that this thing was like a human in the water, biting at the testicles of fishermen. They didn’t know what it was,’ Wade said.
‘It is a hot and dirty area so the people would often go to the water with their children to wash but obviously they were very worried about this thing in the water.’
Pacu fish are usually found in the Amazon river in South America, where they use their teeth to crack into nuts and seeds. The previously vegetarian fish were introduced to Papua New Guinea 15 years ago to increase stocks.
