Testicle eating fish in Illinois lake!

[Crownjewels (imported)]

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/arti ... itals.html

Balls to that! Families stay out of popular rural lake after discovery of deadly fish 'that eats male genitals'

A popular Illinois lake is on guard after the discovery in its waters of the exotic pacu fish - infamous for killing men by ripping off their testicles.

Families reported being wary of entering the waters of Lake Lou Yaeger after hearing that a pacu was caught by a fisherman on June 7 and that another one had been spotted two weeks later.

Known in Papua New Guinea as 'The Ball Cutter', the pacu has reportedly been responsible for the deaths of two fishermen in the Pacific nation, who died from blood loss after the fish had bitten off their testicles.

The pacu fish recovered from Lake Lou Yaeger in Litchfield, Illinois. Clearly visible are the fish's human-like teeth

Initially thought to be a piranha, the fish caught in June was later confirmed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to be a pacu.

Although part of the same family, the pacu has thicker, sturdier teeth that resemble human ones, unlike the piranha, which is renowned for its deadly serrated incisors.

'I just got told about it and I am freaked,' said mother-of-four Deanne Kirkwood to KDSK in Illinois.

'And now, I am not so sure I want to go in.'

A fisherman caught the pacu in Lake Lou Yaeger on June 7 and originally thought it to be a piranha

The pacu that are living now in Lake Lou Yaeger were most likely dumped there illegally, but the local authorities were keen to dispel any fears.

'It is a little scary seeing a fish with teeth,' said lake superintendent Jim Cadwell.

'They are not native to this lake or this area.

'The pacu, they are in the same family as piranha's, they are related, but piranha's have very jagged teeth, but pacu's have teeth very similar to humans.

'Their main diet is nuts, leaves, aquatic vegetation, snails.

'If their food supply is limited they will eat other fish.'

Families have become slightly wary of stepping into the water after the confirmation there are pacu roaming the lake.

Last year, one intrepid British angler reported of a trip he undertook to Papua New Guinea to catch pacu, known locally as 'The Ball Cutter'.

Fifty-three-year old Jeremy Wade hunted for the legendary pacu after hearing reports of the fish killing local fishermen by castration.

The Ball Cutter boasts an impressive set of man-like molars, which tear off the testicles of unwitting hunters, leaving them to bleed to death.

'I had heard of a couple of fishermen in Papua New Guinea who had been castrated by something in the water,' said Wade on his British television program 'River Monsters'.

Lake superintendent Jim Cadwell reminded everyone that the pacu is primarily a vegetarian fish

'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.

'Amazingly, these things are quite elusive so we had to be patient catching one. We put a line into the water and waited for it to bite.

'When I reeled it in, it had this mouth which was surprisingly human-like, it is almost like they have teeth specially made for crushing.

Like the piranha, the pacu is originally from the Brazilian Amazon and was introduced into Papua New Guinea to increase fishing stocks.

Despite causing some worry in Illinois, most visitors to Lake Lou Yaeger were nonplussed.

'We have been in shark infested waters and till I see it with my own eyes it ain't going to bother me,' said lake-goer Keith Nessl.

[Paolo]

Maybe they can find some volunteers to bait enough hooks with testicles and fish them all out?

[Eromel-1 (imported)]

Their main diet is nuts....[etc.]...

Just stop there!

[butterflyjack (imported)]

Hey..This has to be a must for would be eunuchs...Let's go!!! We'll just secure our scrotums tightly before entering, lest there be severe bleeding... And..that woman who was leery of entering the water..What's she got to lose..Maybe she should throw her prolific hubby in...Stop the over-population, particularly by idiots...Funny article....Thanks smooches Jackie

[JessJames1968 (imported)]

I'm in! Who's got the plane to charter? Should probably have a doc on board too!

[Prudence (imported)]

I'm guessing the New Guineans were skinny-dipping or bathing (nude) in the river. Or maybe they were trying to entice the fish to give them a "blow-job" (wouldn't surprise me if that were true -- many genital injuries come from someone trying to get a "cheap thrill"). It seems highly unlikely that the fish would be able to "bite off" testicles if they were under clothing.

If you research the fish a bit (simple google search or wikipedia), they are mostly vegetarian. Which casts a lot of doubt on the fish actually seeking after testicles. But if you put your genitals right in front of the fish's mouth, and it was hungry, it would probably bite. But the same thing is true for a finger, worm, bait, bug, some meat, or anything else even remotely fleshy or edible.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

The only report of testicle eating fish seems to come from the program "River Monsters" - not exactly a reliable source. --FLO--

[Cainanite (imported)]

The story of them eating testicles is HIGHLY suspect in my mind. The problem comes from there being two men dangling their bits at the same time. That's four testicles between them. (If I'm counting correctly.) I'd buy that this vegetarian fish would give a good snap at what looked like a low hanging nut or berry. I'll even go so far as to believe it could sever such a body part in one snap.

However, once the first testicle is bitten off, would the guy really wait around for the next fish to bite his other one off? Let alone two guys. I would think that the fish weren't all attacking in perfect synchronization. Once the first guy got bit, I'd think a man would realize what was happening, and protect himself. Two hands there son!

To make a terrible pun, this nut and berry tale sounds a little fishy.