Friendly catfish steals Thai hearts online with fin-tastic affection

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.

Over time, Denchai started to interact with the catfish. He observed that the catfish was unafraid and even tried to feed it the tilapia’s food.

Initially, the catfish showed no interest in the food, but as their interactions became more frequent, the catfish began to eat and even brought other catfish to join in. However, the other catfish would always flee upon sensing a threat, unlike this sociable catfish.

This friendly catfish allowed Denchai to touch it, even enjoying a gentle stroke from its head to its tail. It especially liked being tickled under its chin. However, this would only occur when the catfish was in a certain mood.

Denchai revealed his concerns for the catfish as his pond was often targeted by fish thieves due to its distance from his house. He fears that one day this friendly catfish might be caught and eaten. He never consumed any of the fish from his pond, preferring to keep them for observation.

Denchai believes that animals also desire love from humans, Sanook reported.

Denchai’s story serves as a reminder that compassion and understanding can forge remarkable connections even between species, leaving a lasting impression on all who hear it.

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE.