Friendly catfish steals Thai hearts online with fin-tastic affection

[snoop1130]

 

A uniquely sociable freshwater catfish, known for its fondness for human interaction, has attracted widespread attention and concern for its well-being. Fish lover Denchai Lueklek shared the extraordinary behaviour of the catfish on his Facebook account.

 

On September 27, news correspondents visited Denchai’s residence in the Sai Thai sub-district, Krabi, to witness the catfish’s behaviour first-hand. The 50 year old owns a large freshwater pond located 1 kilometre away from his house.

 

Upon coaxing the catfish, it swam towards Denchai in a friendly manner, circling the pond’s edge. This behaviour starkly contrasted with the other fish in the pond, which showed signs of fear and kept their distance.

 

The pond, approximately 1 acre in size, was originally a 30 year old disused rice paddy. Denchai had transformed it into a model farm pond during the Covid-19 pandemic and stocked it with tilapia.

 

The catfish, however, was a natural inhabitant of the pond. Lueklek noticed that this particular catfish would always watch him and swim towards him whenever he was near the pond.

 

By Atima Homtientong

Caption: Picture courtesy of Sanook

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-02

 

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[KannikaP]

Did it get as many views as the vegetable farmer's Audi A4 though?

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Did it get as many views as the vegetable farmer's Audi A4 though?

Now the locals know where to get an easy lunch...

[Purdey]

How does one tell one catfish from another? It could be two creatures catfishing him.