Fishes in Andhra Pradesh under Piranha threat, humans not safe either

There would be no fishes left for the fishing community in Andhra Pradesh to catch if no timely action is taken to protect its aquatic life. In a shocking discovery, the red-bellied Piranha, one of the world’s most deadliest fishes, was found in the Godavari river. [caption id=“attachment_2261908” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The deadly Piranha. Reuters[/caption] “Piranhas are a native of fresh water rivers which flow through South American nations like Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. Although red-bellied piranhas are not “man-eaters”, there have been many reports of attacks on humans.— a report in Deccan Chronicle said. According to the report, if the fish which has razor-sharp teeth does not find sufficient food it tends “to bite off flesh from humans”. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun first reported about Piranhas near the Dowleswaram barrage in Rajahmundry last year. Shaik Salauddin of Deccan Anglers told Deccan Chronicle: “After talking to the locals, we came to know that it was quite commonly found in the region and the locals call this fish ‘Roop Chand’. We also sighted the fish in the Krishna river. I found the fish being sold by a woman at a fish market in Uppal as well.” In October 2012, people in Andhra Pradesh were shocked when news spread that Pacu, which is close to the Piranha in behaviour, was found in a supermarket in Hyderabad. The Pacus and the Piranhas have the ability to completely finish off the “aquatic biodiversity” because of their carnivorous nature. The Pacu was bought by Rajiv Mathew, an expert member of the Bio-Diversity Board in the Hyderabad supermarket, largely due to curiosity which was later confirmed to be the deadly species. “However, compared to its cousin the Piranha, the Red Belly Pacu is less harmful and aggressive_,” Mathew had told Deccan Herald then. Pacu are but notorious for biting off testicles when they are hungry and people venture into their area._