Stupid River Monsters!!

[PiranhaChris]

So I decided today to flip on Animal Planet and watch River Monsters. I find it interesting as a Diver. Then they showed a Promo for a new one where he's looking for Sharks. I've never come so close to throwing my remote at the TV. 1 Episode will show the Snakehead, which is destroying Eco systems. Another episode they'll show the Amazon Catfish species that have real documented kills and actually eat people. So of course why not have a episode on Sharks, which regulates Ecosystems and really could careless about humans.

Way to perpetuate the Fears. Tools!

Sorry I had to vent that to people who'd understand.

 

[deco_martini]

The show is on bull sharks, of which we do have recorded attacks in streams/rivers.

What's the big deal?

 

[PiranhaChris]

Not the new one they were promoing..........

 

[smellzlikefish]

I'm kind of with Deco here. The infamous ganges river shark (bull shark) is rather infamous for preying on unsuspecting swimmers.

Although I also agree with you, Chris: every time I watch that posh English idiot pretending to solve a crisis with his rod and reel, I get an urge to chew off my own foot. Animal Planet could have made an interesting show about the largest/most problematic freshwater fish in the world but instead they funded a redefinition of the word "garbage."

 

[deco_martini]

I'll second that. I tried watching river monsters, but most of the fish were really harmless. The host overplayed the threat from them.

Kind of reminds of barracudas in nature documentaries.

 

[ACT651755]

If people stopped swimming in the Ganges where they know Bull Sharks are common, this wouldn't be a problem. If fishermen stopped tying their dying catches around their waists and over their shoulders, this wouldn't be a problem either.

Some people are just stupid... it's evolution at work!

 

[DavidPT40]

I've watched River Monsters. The host vastly overplays the danger of every single species on there. However, there have been two shows that displayed creatures that are legitimately river monsters- The Bull Shark, and the Crocodile.

Bull sharks have been sited as far up as the Mississippi River in Illinois, destroying fish traps.

 

[fire_diver]

I usually found the show at least interesting, until I found out he abhors the thought of killing one of the fish he catches. He acted like it was a crime against nature when an African tribe wanted to keep the monster sized fish he had just caught. At least he let them keep it, for which there was a huge celebration.

 

[Jupiter31]

I'm kind of with Deco here. The infamous ganges river shark (bull shark) is rather infamous for preying on unsuspecting swimmers.

Although I also agree with you, Chris: every time I watch that posh English idiot pretending to solve a crisis with his rod and reel, I get an urge to chew off my own foot. Animal Planet could have made an interesting show about the largest/most problematic freshwater fish in the world but instead they funded a redefinition of the word "garbage."

I'll second that. I tried watching river monsters, but most of the fish were really harmless. The host overplayed the threat from them.

Kind of reminds of barracudas in nature documentaries.

I've watched River Monsters. The host vastly overplays the danger of every single species on there. However, there have been two shows that displayed creatures that are legitimately river monsters- The Bull Shark, and the Crocodile.

Bull sharks have been sited as far up as the Mississippi River in Illinois, destroying fish traps.

I don't like the show because of the host's hype over the "Fish of the week" - with the exception of bull sharks, the so called river monsters may be huge, but don't pose a threat to humans.

And all the hype and BS just reinforces to some how dangerous any body of water can be - not really the case.

 

[JDiver56]

The irony here is that, yes, bull sharks do head up rivers like the Ganges, the San Juan to Lake Nicaragua, the Zambezi, the Mississippi (where they seem to not be much of a problem) and have undoubtedly done so for much longer than people have inhabited those waterways.

In South America, the fish the locals fear are not the bull sharks coming up fresh waters, or even the "vicious" piranha - they do fear electric catfish, fresh water stingrays and the candirú. (The latter has much weirder effect, one that is guaranteed to get a shudder, than what a shark or electric anything can do... though it is relatively easy to avoid problems with, as long as you keep covered up and avoid urinating in the water :shocked2:.)

I'd like to see how they get around the usual "rules" they use on TV to show that...