Fishing for owner: Chiang Mai rescue reels in 300kg catfish
A rescue team that operated during the floods in Chiang Mai discovered a 300-kilogramme giant catfish in the floodwaters and is now searching for its owner, believing the fish to be a pet.
One of the rescuers, who found the giant catfish, Wi Sang, took to his Facebook account to post pictures of the animal, both to record the shocking discovery and to help find the fish’s owner. Its size led the rescue team to believe that the fish was kept as a pet rather than for food.
In the caption, the rescuer wrote, “Sunday, October, 6 2024. Uttaradit Song Khro Foundation found the giant catfish, weighing about 300 kilogrammes, near Saraphi Railway Station during severe flooding in Chiang Mai. We handed it over to the railway official to help find its owner.”
The pictures showed five rescuers holding the giant catfish together. They were seen standing outside the railway station, with the floodwater at knee level.
The size of the giant catfish caused the post to go viral on social media. One Thai netizen commented under the post that she came across another post by a Facebook user, Mahnoi Karn, in the Facebook group Chiang Mai 108, claiming that the fish belonged to her family.
In her post, Mahnoi Karn shared a picture of the rescuers and explained that the fish went missing during the flood. Her family had been taking care of it for a long time.
In another post, a Thai man shared in a local Chiang Mai Facebook group, asking if anyone was interested in eating catfish.
The rescuer did not respond to Mahnoi Karn’s post, so there is no update on whether the giant catfish was successfully reunited with its owner or ended up being eaten.
In a related report, a Thai man, Ekachai Srinoradaksilp, took to Facebook to search for the owner of a brown coffin that had floated to his home in Chiang Mai province during the flood. Ekachai said he did not dare move it or check inside and left it outside his home.
Some netizens made humorous comments.
“The owner is inside, just knocking!”
“Keep it, you’ll need it in the future.”
As for the flood situation in Chiang Mai, the city centre has now returned to normal. Locals and relevant government officials are currently cleaning the area to help businesses resume.
