City cancels piranha bounty as other fish slaughtered
Red-bellied piranha swim at the London Zoo in March 2010.
July 13th, 2012
11:06 AM ET

City cancels piranha bounty as other fish slaughtered

A Chinese city has canceled a $157 bounty on piranha after people killed too many other fish in a four-day hunt, Chinese state media reported Friday.

Government officials in the southern city of Liuzhou had offered a 1,000-yuan ($157) reward for every piranha caught after at least three of the sharp-toothed fish attacked two swimmers in the Liujiang River over the weekend, biting off parts of one person's finger, state-run agency Xinhua reported.

But no one caught any piranha in the four-day river hunt, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.

And too many local fish breeds were being killed, including in nets, prompting concern about the river's ecological balance, the head of the local fishery bureau told China Daily.

Although the bounty has been canceled, residents are still encouraged to try to catch piranha with a hook and line but not nets, Liuzhou fishery chief Wei Yongwen told China Daily.

Piranha are native to South America, and fishery officials said they might have been imported to the Liuzhou area from the Amazon region, Xinhua reported.

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Filed under: Animals • China • Fish • Nature
soundoff (88 Responses)
  1. Jeff Frank (R-Ohio)"Right Wing Insanity"

    Maybe guuk got bit by a snapper. Turtles bite too.

    July 13, 2012 at 5:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • jqent

      Difference would be, a snapping turtle would take the finger off completely.

      July 13, 2012 at 5:25 pm | Report abuse |
  2. dentate

    "Piranha are native to South America, and fishery officials said they might have been imported to the Liuzhou area from the Amazon region, Xinhua reported." Wow. Brilliant deduction. And here I thought they got there by boarding a blimp in Cleveland.

    July 13, 2012 at 5:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • LLsillyone

      That's funny!!!!

      July 13, 2012 at 5:37 pm | Report abuse |
  3. chrissy

    Word to the wise, never eat anything that may eat you first!

    July 13, 2012 at 6:44 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Muncher

    The problem with eating Chinese is that you're hungry again after an hour. Expect carnage to ensue.

    July 14, 2012 at 6:22 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Elvis

    Well, I am surprised they have not eaten all them Piranhas just yet since they eat everything that flies except PLANES and everything that has 4 legs except tables......God save the oceans.

    July 14, 2012 at 9:59 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Julian Alien

    They could just shock the water like we do in America.The fish float up,invasive species are netted quickly,and the other fish just snap out of it and swim away.A friend just caught a 7 lb. piranha here in Florida.I am against the exotic pet trade.

    July 15, 2012 at 2:43 pm | Report abuse |
  7. social network

    Are they a threat to native fish species?

    July 15, 2012 at 11:02 pm | Report abuse |
  8. stainpouch

    State-mandated birth control is no longer necessary, replace with mandated swimming lessons. Ta-Da!

    July 16, 2012 at 10:18 am | Report abuse |
  9. worldofdummies

    Someone open their eyes a little more and then maybe they will realize that was a super dumb idea! What were they thinking by telling people to kill piranha's? You're going to attract people to rivers and tributaries that have no clue what a piranha even looks like trying to make some $$.

    July 16, 2012 at 1:22 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Dr What

    And China did not see this coming? Wow! They did this before and had everyone scare away birds to keep crops safe. This, in turn, caused a plague of locusts with when the sparrows died of exhaustion from trying to get away from people. Locusts ate their crops.

    July 16, 2012 at 4:18 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Piers Morgan, Supervillain

    "I am here to collect the bounty on this piranha."
    "Ok, let me see...WHAT? is THAT?"
    I"It's a piranha!"
    "It looks like an old boot!"
    "Are you sure it's not a piranha? I could paint on some teeth."

    July 16, 2012 at 4:19 pm | Report abuse |
  12. max3333444555

    That is one BIG fish if it bit off a human finger! People should be nervous.

    July 17, 2012 at 9:21 am | Report abuse |
  13. Ian

    Piranha aren't know to attck humans in the amazon but yet they bite off fingers in China?

    July 17, 2012 at 1:49 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jose Pineda

      Absolutely not true. These fish have been known to bite humans like just about any other animal. The finger may have looked llike prey to the fish. Although their reputation about attacking humans is worse than the truth, it is also dangerous to think they will not attack when they feel threatened. They're more of a "bite now, ask questions later" fish...

      July 17, 2012 at 4:35 pm | Report abuse |
  14. oldeWhyteMann

    About time some of the animals started eating the Chinese for a change! HAHA

    July 17, 2012 at 2:39 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Cyric

    Is anybody in China not an idiot?

    July 17, 2012 at 5:57 pm | Report abuse |
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