International Young Naturists Organisation
Naturist Resources => NEWS! International Naturist News and Travel Reports => Northern Europe including Scandinavia => Topic started by: Danee on August 12, 2013, 10:45:09 am
-
Swedish swimmers warned to protect private parts after discovery of notorious exotic fish
Pacu, with teeth designed to crush nuts and fruit, is source of the caution
(http://cdn.grindtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pacu.jpg)
An exotic pacu has been caught in Sweden’s Oresund Sound, and it’s cause for serious alarm–especially among human males who like to swim there.
Pacus, which are native to South America, are related to piranhas, which have sharper teeth and are notorious for how quickly then can remove flesh from the bones of their prey.
But pacus, which possess teeth that are almost molar-like and are designed for crushing nuts and fruit, boast a reputation for attacking the most sensitive area on the male human body.
Thus, the Natural History Museum of Denmark has issued a warning: “Keep your swimwear on if you’re in bathing in the Sound these days.”
The Local, an English-language Swedish newspaper, quotes museum biologist Henrik Carl as saying, “The pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it has quite a serious bite… There have been incidents in other countries, such as Papua New Guinea, where some men have had their testicles bitten off.”
Carl acknowledged that such instances are extremely rare, and that he was having “a bit of fun” in discussing this discovery.
But such an ominous warning is bound to at least temporarily eliminate skinny-dipping in the Sound.
Meanwhile, the presence of a pacu is as mysterious as it is troubling. More than likely, someone who had kept the tropical fish in a home aquarium released it into the Sound.
Are there others out there?
People are asked to be on the lookout, while also guarding their private parts.
“They are almost identical to the piranha, you couldn’t even tell from the outside,” Carl said of the fearsome pacus. “It’s just that they have different teeth. Flatter and stronger, perfect for crushing.”
To be sure, if the pacu were a shark, it would warrant a feature on “Shark Week.”
And Carl is not unlike those “Shark Week” experts who downplay the danger without really downplaying the danger.
While he confessed that “there’s nothing to worry about” and that Swedish swimmers are more likely to drown than being bitten in a sensitive area by a pacu, he did not entirely dismiss the danger.
“It could become a problem some time in the future if it’s not the only one,” he said. “This one was the first, but who knows, it’s probably not the last.”
From: [size=78%]http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/male-swimmers-in-swedish-waterway-warned-to-protect-private-parts-after-discovery-of-dangerous-exotic-fish/ (http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/nature/post/male-swimmers-in-swedish-waterway-warned-to-protect-private-parts-after-discovery-of-dangerous-exotic-fish/)[/size]
And, in a related story from Vietnam:
Mystery fish attacks boys' penises as they bathe
(http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/custom/images/medium/502b603747b36.jpg)
Two young boys were badly injured after being bitten by a fish that attacked their penises while they were bathing in Kenh Giua River in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, Vietnam.
The attacks happened in separate incidents, but in both instances the boys were bathing naked.
In the first attack on August 5, seven-year-old Nguyen Huu Thien was bathing with a group of other children when adults heard him cry out and saw him trying to remove something from his penis. They ran to his rescue and on seeing his injuries, rushed him to hospital. It's thought that he may have lost most of his penis in the attack.
The second incident occurred on August 9 and involved four-year-old Nguyen Hoan Hao who is reported to have had half of his penis almost severed. A spokesman from the Thap Muoi District Hospital said that surgeons were trying to re-attach both the boys' penises. At the time of the report, the boys were still in hospital.
There are also reports that a third child has been attacked, but there are no further details except that the youngster involved has since been discharged from hospital.
The species of fish responsible hasn't been positively identified. Local people seem to think it may be an escaped White pomfret, which is a popular food fish — but a spokesperson for the Dong Thap Fisheries Department said that the culprits are probably blowfish (pufferfish), which will attack anything that enters their territory when they are breeding. The Mekong puffer (Tetraodon suvatti) pictured above can be particularly aggressive, for example.
Authorities of Tan Kieu Commune have now launched a hunt for the fish involved and nets are being used to search the river, but so far the culprit has eluded them.
Local residents have been advised not allow their children bathe naked in rivers and canals.
From: [/size][size=78%]http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5210 (http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5210)[/size]
Those poor kids.....
-
After reading the title I thought, "Oh just some silly law." But after reading the article... I'll just stop swimming altogether!
-
After reading the title I thought, "Oh just some silly law." But after reading the article... I'll just stop swimming altogether!
Don't do that, and do NOT stop skinnydipping!
-
After reading the title I thought, "Oh just some silly law." But after reading the article... I'll just stop swimming altogether!
Don't do that, and do NOT stop skinnydipping!
:345678 Ok, ok. But just for you. And if I ever see one of those demon fish, though, I'M OUT!
-
After reading the title I thought, "Oh just some silly law." But after reading the article... I'll just stop swimming altogether!
Don't do that, and do NOT stop skinnydipping!
:3145 Don't let fear rule your life. The chances are so small that its not worth giving up skinny dipping over.
-
Swedish swimmers warned to protect private parts after discovery of notorious exotic fish
Pacu, with teeth designed to crush nuts and fruit, is source of the caution
(http://cdn.grindtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pacu.jpg)
Only thought: Ouuuuuuutsch!!
-
That is terrifying
-
Excuse the pun, but that's nuts!
I'd never stop skinny dipping though. They may take our nuts, but they'll never take our freedom! :323232
(Last bit is so much better because I'm Scottish so it reads to me in the right accent)
-
Nut Crushers and Dong Thappers. Thanks for the heads-up.
-
Excuse the pun, but that's nuts!
I'd never stop skinny dipping though. They may take our nuts, but they'll never take our freedom! :323232
(Last bit is so much better because I'm Scottish so it reads to me in the right accent)
Nut Crushers and Dong Thappers. Thanks for the heads-up.
:909 :909 :909 :909 :909
-
Meanwhile in Bavaria ...
Snapping turtle terrorizes Bavarian lake (http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130812-51347.html)
A snapping turtle has struck fear into an area of southern Germany after severing a boy's Achilles tendon while swimming. The area is in lock-down and the lake has been drained, but there is no sign of the reptile.
-
Ouch
-
Yet another reason why I do NOT like large bodies of water...
-
But pacus, which possess teeth that are almost molar-like and are designed for crushing nuts and fruit
. . . so if you are neither there is nothing to fear . . . right?
And I thought that I had troubles last weekend when an overly ambitious rock crab kept trying to nip my toes. You'd think they'd pick on something smaller . . . made me glad I was wading rather than sitting. I didn't harm it but I retaliated by eating two of his distant relatives that evening. Yum . . . rock lobster, fresh from the boat to the boiler.
-
Well, I would prefer to keep my nuts uncrushed.
-
Also the presence of them in Scandinavia is a hoax, they are warm water creatures limited to mostly South America
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning)
-
Also the presence of them in Scandinavia is a hoax, they are warm water creatures limited to mostly South America
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning)
Excellent find! Thank-you!
-
Also the presence of them in Scandinavia is a hoax, they are warm water creatures limited to mostly South America
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning)
I wondered about that when I looked at the original story and figured it was an escape or a specimen dumped from an aquarium. But this gives me an idea, maybe I'll go to the craft shop and by a bag of tropical seashells to sprinkle along the beach here and see if I can get Environment Canada all in a froth about it. (http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/devil-naughty.gif)
-
Also the presence of them in Scandinavia is a hoax, they are warm water creatures limited to mostly South America
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning)
I wondered about that when I looked at the original story and figured it was an escape or a specimen dumped from an aquarium. But this gives me an idea, maybe I'll go to the craft shop and by a bag of tropical seashells to sprinkle along the beach here and see if I can get Environment Canada all in a froth about it. (http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/devil-naughty.gif)
Nice idea! Now I'm sure a Pacu could be introduced into the North Sea, but I somehow doubt it would last long. Hell, since Megaladon and Mermaids both exist now, we can make a documentary about them and sell it! :shocked:
-
Last week a giant sunfish washed up on the beach in NS (or maybe NB - I can't remember) - we've also had Great Whites show up in the Bay of Fundy on two occasions that I can recall. That being said this little guy was too far from home to not be an escapee as indicated in the original story.
Meanwhile, the presence of a pacu is as mysterious as it is troubling. More than likely, someone who had kept the tropical fish in a home aquarium released it into the Sound.
Still you've only got two of them - probably best to keep an eye on them.
-
Last week a giant sunfish washed up on the beach in NS (or maybe NB - I can't remember) - we've also had Great Whites show up in the Bay of Fundy on two occasions that I can recall. That being said this little guy was too far from home to not be an escapee as indicated in the original story.
(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSzaqhSK7ihmryofw1TaTvnpQvCAD-WrH2SC_DKRMZQfxCancBr)
The mola mola washed ashore near Saint Andrews, NB. I've never seen one live but the fishermen tell me that they are an annual occurrence -- interesting but not headline material. Great Whites are not that unusual either, but certainly cause for concern if you are, like me, a sea kayaker. I had a bit of a scare last summer but it turned out to be a huge basking shark. The biologists tell us that we are getting more sperm whales than usual, arriving in pursuit of giant squid. Marine life tends to follow the food so my question is "What are the giant squid pursuing?"
(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTePX5Dp4O26IVTGUJkPF_EKRJONLF8v5z9bb8lFFFJa6nRya_jt94wz9_t)