Piranhas in Brazil attacked the beachgoers. The aggressive predators left at least eight individuals injured.
Piranha Attack in Brazil
Many visited a beach resort in Taruma-Acu, a region north of Manauas, a city on the Amazon River, to enjoy the Labor Day weekend. The victims played in a stream when they noticed sharp pangs on their feet and legs.
One victim said they didn't suspect it was a piranha attack until they got out of the water and found others nursing their wounds. The photos taken from the scene featured multiple individuals with bloodied feet. They bandaged it up after the vicious fish left them wounded.
University student Adaiany Monteiro told G1 News (via Daily Mail) that he felt a "shock" on his heel. When he left the water, he heard people talking about piranhas and bites. When he looked at his foot, he also saw bite marks.
Why Piranhas Attack?
The river at Taruma-Acu has several floating restaurants that offer food, and fisheries engineer Daniel Bevilaqua speculates that people may be tossing food into the water, attracting animals.
According to him, swimmers frequently use this area, where food is frequently dumped close to floating restaurants, during the day, when sunlight incidence corresponds to the piranha's peak feeding activity.
The piranha has to defend that region because it is where they feed. When someone is taking a bath, they frequently end up being attacked-not because they are food for the piranha, but because they thought the swimmers are invading their territory, Daily Star reported.
What to Do After Being Bitten by a Piranha?
The Mobile Emergency Care Service's Dr. Romes Proenca discussed what to do if a piranha bites you. According to him, the first thing to do after being assaulted by piranhas is to exit the water.
He also discouraged applying toothpaste, detergent, and merthiolate as they are useless. You can apply pressure to the area with gauze, a towel, or a clean cloth to stop bleeding.
As soon as you can, transport the patient to a medical facility. Proenca advised getting help because delaying may put one at higher risk for infections and tetanus.
Is Piranha Attack Fatal?
According to certain legends, a school of predatory fish may quickly skeletonize a cow or a human body. Tales about aggressive predator fish are frequently exaggerated in stories and movies.
In the 1978 movie "Piranha," the fish were depicted as ravenous indiscriminate killers, according to Britannica. However, they are scavengers and feed on plant materials.
They nevertheless have a severe bite, and although an attack is rare to leave a victim bare-boned, it still has the potential to be fatal.
Piranhas have one of the strongest bites among bony fishes in South American rivers, floodplains, lakes, and reservoirs. The black piranha has one of the strongest bite forces among vertebrates relative to its body mass, Daily Mail noted.
Similar to the most recent incident in Taruma-Acu, several confirmed attacks have occurred. One incident in 2011 left 100 people injured.
In Bolivia's Rosario del Yata, a drunk 18-year-old died when he jumped out of his canoe and was attacked by piranhas. The bites caused him to bleed to death.
A Brazilian girl, age 5, also lost her life after being attacked by a shoal of red-bellied piranhas a year later.
In January 2022, four swimmers' carcasses were discovered after being mauled by piranhas in a series of attacks that shocked South America. The attacks occurred in Paraguay, where there was a heatwave, and many people sought relief by cooling off in nearby rivers.
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