River Monsters S06E01 Amazon Apocalypse

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Documentary, River Monsters S06E01 Amazon Apocalypse   #Documentary #River Monsters

Transcript

00:00:00I'm Jeremy Wade, freshwater detective and angling explorer.

00:00:07And the place that holds endless mystery for me is the Amazon.

00:00:14Now I'm heading back again on the mission of a lifetime.

00:00:18Over the course of a whole year, I'll go further and deeper into more remote and unknown

00:00:25river monster's territory than ever before.

00:00:33It was hailed as the safest boat on the river.

00:00:37But when the Sobral Santos sank in the deepest part of the Amazon,

00:00:42hundreds went down with it in a catastrophe that dwarfs all my other investigations.

00:00:49Many passengers mysteriously disappeared without trace.

00:00:53At the very least, we're talking about 50 people, at the most as many as 300.

00:00:59The Amazon is the hunting ground for a terrifying line-up...

00:01:05Half of it's been taken.

00:01:06...of the world's most ferocious river monsters.

00:01:09Hit my arm.

00:01:12One way or another, I have to uncover what was behind the Amazon apocalypse.

00:01:23The Amazon rainforest covers tropical South America in a cloak of vegetation so immense

00:01:37it would smother more than two-thirds of the mainland U.S.

00:01:42And the scale of the mighty river that cuts through its heart is so vast, it's almost impossible to comprehend.

00:01:52To put it in some kind of perspective, the amount of water flowing through the Amazon

00:01:56is greater than the flow of the Ganges, Congo, Yangtze, Mississippi and Nile combined.

00:02:05These tropical waters are so prolific that the concentration of fish species is 10,000 times that of the ocean.

00:02:13These include some very real river monsters.

00:02:18When you think of all the aquatic predators patrolling these watery highways,

00:02:22it makes navigating these rivers a bit like driving a convertible through a lion enclosure.

00:02:32And if there's one sure way, the people living along its endless shores come into contact with the Amazon's river monsters.

00:02:39It's when a boat goes down.

00:02:41I learned Portuguese when I first came to the Amazon 20 years ago.

00:02:47It's an invaluable skill that's opened many doors for me.

00:02:51Just talking to the captain about how potentially dangerous it must be navigating these waters

00:02:56with all the traffic on them, particularly at night.

00:02:59And he said, yeah, absolutely.

00:03:01And accidents do happen.

00:03:02In fact, one of the crew members on this boat was involved in the salvage of a really horrendous accident that happened.

00:03:09It was a passenger and cargo boat called the Sobral Santos.

00:03:14And apparently, even though it happened quite a while ago, the memory of that event still haunts people to this day.

00:03:21Our boat mechanic, Manel, was only 21 when he was sent to a remote Brazilian town to help recover the wreck.

00:03:31It went down in a place called Obydos, which is the deepest and narrowest part of the main Amazon River.

00:03:37Manel was accompanying a team of divers on a massive barge fitted with a crane, which took five days to get to Obydos.

00:03:46He was assisting one of the divers.

00:03:51And what he said was that when the boat was raised, there were lots of bodies inside.

00:04:00And because those bodies had been there so long, there wasn't an awful lot left of them.

00:04:10Lots of them had all their flesh missing.

00:04:14He said the one thing that remained untouched generally was the hands, but everything else eaten away.

00:04:20There was a huge loss of life.

00:04:26No one agrees on how many people were travelling on the boat that night.

00:04:30Perhaps 430, maybe as many as 630.

00:04:35Yet only around 180 survived.

00:04:38The report from the official investigation has been lost, so nobody knows for sure what happened to all the passengers.

00:04:46Some were retrieved dead from the wreckage, others drowned and their bodies were recovered in the following days

00:04:53when they floated to the surface as a result of natural decomposition.

00:04:57But something doesn't add up.

00:05:00When you take into account the number of people travelling on the boat, there were still some passengers unaccounted for.

00:05:07At the very least, we're talking about 50 people.

00:05:10At the most, it could be as many as 300.

00:05:12Manel told me the boat didn't go down in the middle of the river.

00:05:17It was docked in a harbour.

00:05:19I think something happened under cover of darkness that stopped surviving passengers, making it to dry land.

00:05:26If this is the work of a river monster,

00:05:29then this catastrophe has a greater death toll than all my other investigations combined.

00:05:36I've got to find out the truth about what happened to the passengers of the Sobral Santos.

00:05:44The boat made a regular journey, carrying passengers and cargo from the port of Santorin to the city of Manaus,

00:05:55450 miles upstream.

00:05:58It was when it stopped to pick up passengers at the small port of Obydos in the middle of the night,

00:06:04the disaster struck.

00:06:05This is the place.

00:06:16This is where the Sobral Santos went down.

00:06:21But will anyone really remember what happened here more than 30 years ago?

00:06:27And could whatever was lurking in the water then still be around now?

00:06:33There's only one way to find out.

00:06:37I've got to get a line in the water.

00:06:41But with so many large boats coming and going,

00:06:44fishing is prohibited from the working dock.

00:06:47Instead, I'm taking a position on the shore,

00:06:50next to the dock warehouse where the bodies recovered from the river were stored.

00:06:57Just as every journey begins with a small step,

00:07:09every mystery begins with a small clue.

00:07:14You've got to start by getting something that the predators are likely to feed on.

00:07:18So I'm actually fishing for small fish at the moment.

00:07:21I've just got some light line just to see if I can pick up something

00:07:25probably just a few inches long is what I'm after.

00:07:28If I can get some fish like that,

00:07:30I'm then in a position to really go for what I'm really after.

00:07:43Who could bait fish, that?

00:07:44It's a tetragonopterus, sometimes collected for aquaria,

00:07:48but the perfect size for me.

00:07:50It's the kind of fish that could bring in larger predators.

00:07:53If I get a few more to use as bait,

00:07:56I'll be ready to move up to bigger gear.

00:08:00But it seems I've got some competition.

00:08:04Whatever that was, it's taken the hook, it's actually bitten the line.

00:08:07In these waters, even the small fish are formidable predators.

00:08:11That's something.

00:08:21This is actually a bit of a turn-up for the books.

00:08:23Even right off the dock, we've got piranhas.

00:08:28Even on a fish this small, those teeth are still pretty vicious.

00:08:33So could this be my first suspect?

00:08:35Contrary to popular belief,

00:08:38red-bellied piranhas are mainly scavengers

00:08:41and only attack humans in exceptional circumstances.

00:08:46That was actually quite a surprise to catch a piranha here.

00:08:48It's a fish that is normally found in the lakes

00:08:50rather than the main current of the river.

00:08:53But the fact that they're here next to the port

00:08:55doesn't necessarily implicate them in what happened after the boat accident.

00:08:58They're a side feeder.

00:09:00They're more active during the day.

00:09:01The boat accident happened 3.30 in the morning.

00:09:03Is it possible all the noise and movement

00:09:05could have awakened them and triggered an attack?

00:09:09It would take a huge number of piranhas to dismember so many bodies.

00:09:16Piranhas normally are found in actually fairly small groups.

00:09:21They're not in groups of hundreds.

00:09:22They're in groups of maybe 30, something like that.

00:09:24So although they're here,

00:09:27I don't think they were a significant factor at all

00:09:29in what might have happened to the people.

00:09:33Still, the lethal weaponry deployed by even small fish here

00:09:37indicates how unforgiving life beneath the surface is.

00:09:42Although the disaster happened more than 30 years ago,

00:09:45I'm hoping someone in the town will have some details.

00:09:48That's interesting, stories of screams coming out of the dark,

00:10:03people getting eaten alive by something in the water.

00:10:08Even though this is something that happened a long time ago,

00:10:10it's clearly still very much alive in the minds of people here.

00:10:14But I still haven't spoken to an actual eyewitness

00:10:19until I tracked down the former harbour master

00:10:22who was on duty that night.

00:10:24The first thing that Manel de Souza says is that in the early 1980s,

00:10:34Obidos had very little electric lighting and none in the port.

00:10:38The accident happened at 3.30 in the morning, so it's dark.

00:10:47The boat had to do a bit of a turn as it came in close

00:10:49because there's an eddy close to the banks.

00:10:52The deep, swirling water means mooring at these docks

00:10:55is always fraught with danger.

00:10:57So it's manoeuvring so that it's coming against the current

00:11:01alongside the pontoon.

00:11:03As it drew alongside, it tied up.

00:11:06He tells me that as a crowd of passengers moved to one side to get off,

00:11:10the boat began to lean heavily.

00:11:14Then the next thing that happened was that it drifted away a bit

00:11:17and the cables broke.

00:11:22And in an instant, hundreds of people were plunged

00:11:26into the deadly waters of the Amazon.

00:11:28And the carnage that followed has seen no equal.

00:11:42I'm investigating the Amazon's worst riverboat disaster.

00:11:47In the deepest part of the river,

00:11:50I've learned that over the following days,

00:11:53fish consumed the passengers who died on board.

00:11:56Lots of them had all their flesh missing.

00:11:59And also that immediately after the accident,

00:12:02many passengers struggling on the surface

00:12:04suddenly disappeared just yards from the dock.

00:12:08Some say they were eaten alive.

00:12:13The harbormaster was right on the dockside,

00:12:15but with no lighting,

00:12:18the disaster zone was pitch black.

00:12:23It was really too dark to see what was happening.

00:12:26But in the town at that time,

00:12:28there was a diver who worked with a gold mining team.

00:12:32The diver volunteered to go down and help with the rescue.

00:12:35And he went in and he came up a very short time later

00:12:40and said,

00:12:41there's something very large down there.

00:12:44And when the people asked him,

00:12:45well, how do you know that?

00:12:47It's impossible to see.

00:12:48He said,

00:12:49just by the movement,

00:12:50there's something moving down there.

00:12:52And apparently he refused.

00:12:54He said,

00:12:54that's it.

00:12:55I'm just not getting into the water again.

00:12:56So no one dared to approach the sunken boat

00:13:00on the night it went down.

00:13:04Daybreak revealed an apocalyptic scene.

00:13:07The river was awash with half-eaten bodies and body parts.

00:13:12Was some kind of river monster to blame?

00:13:14The Amazon is not lacking in suspects.

00:13:18With more than 3,000 species of fish alone,

00:13:22my challenge is immense.

00:13:24Made all the harder

00:13:26because the waters here at Obydos

00:13:28are exceptionally deep and turbulent.

00:13:32This outcrop of rock is a significant feature here.

00:13:35This is the reason the river is so narrow here.

00:13:37You can actually see the far bank quite clearly,

00:13:39whereas in a lot of other places in the main river

00:13:41it's just this thin grey line in the distance.

00:13:43But because it's so narrow,

00:13:45the river being squeezed into such a small gap,

00:13:48it's also very deep.

00:13:49We've got 200 feet beneath us

00:13:51and also the current is very, very strong.

00:13:55These unique conditions

00:13:57create a dangerous swirling eddy

00:13:59right in front of the dock

00:14:00where the Sobral Santos moored up.

00:14:03Because of the strong current,

00:14:05fishermen can't set static nets

00:14:07but fish them on the drift.

00:14:10And it's no place for a rod and line.

00:14:12A bait cast from the bank

00:14:14would never hold position

00:14:15and nor would an anchor.

00:14:18I'd risk being dragged

00:14:19into the path of oncoming boats.

00:14:23But I do have another option.

00:14:26Many fish patrol

00:14:27and even seasonally migrate

00:14:29up and down the Amazon.

00:14:31So if this part of the main river

00:14:33is unfishable,

00:14:34I may find what I'm after

00:14:36in the tributaries.

00:14:48Oh, took on the way down.

00:14:50That's a piranha.

00:14:51There are too many

00:14:53similar-looking piranha species

00:14:55to be sure of its identity.

00:14:57But there's one thing I do know.

00:14:59If they're out in numbers,

00:15:00then things might get difficult.

00:15:03And from the tell-tale tapping on the line,

00:15:05it doesn't feel good.

00:15:12It's another piranha.

00:15:14Small groups of these sight hunters

00:15:16couldn't account for a massacre

00:15:18in the middle of the night.

00:15:19But they would have been quick

00:15:20to come in and scavenge

00:15:21the next day.

00:15:24The thing about piranhas

00:15:25is they very often

00:15:27get to the bait

00:15:27before anything else.

00:15:28So they actually prevent you

00:15:30from finding out

00:15:32what else is down there.

00:15:34Changing location

00:15:35is the only way

00:15:36to avoid their unwelcome advances.

00:15:41Yeah.

00:15:42Hey!

00:15:49Very nice, streamlined, scaly fish.

00:15:52Interesting.

00:15:53Even a pretty little silverfish like that

00:15:55is a flesh-eater.

00:15:56Took a little piece of fish.

00:15:58One thing is clear

00:15:59from fishing these backwaters.

00:16:01There's a solid foundation of prey.

00:16:04If you've got small fish like that,

00:16:05you would expect normally

00:16:06to have bigger fish feeding on them

00:16:08right the way up the food pyramid

00:16:10to the very large predators.

00:16:14But the water conditions

00:16:15are making the job harder.

00:16:18I've arrived in Obydos

00:16:19at the peak of the flood season.

00:16:20The river has burst its banks

00:16:22and is spreading far and wide,

00:16:25allowing freshwater predators

00:16:26to disperse into a vast area

00:16:28of rainforest.

00:16:29However, the dock

00:16:31has become a reef

00:16:32of sunken structure

00:16:33in 20 to 30 feet of water,

00:16:35providing extra hiding spaces

00:16:37and ambush opportunities

00:16:38for deep-water hunters.

00:16:41If I can fish from the site

00:16:42where the boat went down,

00:16:44I might yet discover a monster.

00:16:48But before I get the chance,

00:16:50some cargo handlers tell me

00:16:52a huge creature

00:16:53recently surfaced nearby.

00:16:59They said there was

00:17:00a very big caiman here

00:17:01just last year,

00:17:03where about 100 yards from the port,

00:17:05something like that,

00:17:06it came up,

00:17:08somebody tried to lasso it.

00:17:09It went down again,

00:17:10it came up again.

00:17:11They said it was a very big animal.

00:17:12They said like 15, 18 foot.

00:17:14I don't think it was as big as that,

00:17:15but it clearly made

00:17:16an impression on them.

00:17:17Eventually, it submerged

00:17:18and it headed off

00:17:20in the direction of the port.

00:17:21It came up again there

00:17:22and then it disappeared.

00:17:26If I think of a creature

00:17:27strong enough to tear limbs

00:17:29from the bodies of the living,

00:17:30then top of the list

00:17:31has to be the caiman.

00:17:33If this relative of the alligator

00:17:35can't swallow its prey whole,

00:17:37it swings and twists off

00:17:38manageable chunks

00:17:39and that might account

00:17:41for the body parts

00:17:42floating on the river.

00:17:46This town has grown a lot

00:17:48since the disaster

00:17:49and underwater,

00:17:51it's not the same river

00:17:52that it was.

00:17:55So if I'm to find

00:17:56the evidence I need,

00:17:57I may have to cast

00:17:59my net wider.

00:18:03I've heard about a man

00:18:04who has first-hand experience

00:18:05of the violent power

00:18:07of a giant caiman.

00:18:09I'm hoping he can offer

00:18:10an insight into what a caiman

00:18:12could have done

00:18:12on that terrible night.

00:18:14But to find him,

00:18:15I have to venture

00:18:16into what they call

00:18:17the Igarho,

00:18:19the flooded forest.

00:18:20Right now,

00:18:21it's right at the height

00:18:22of the flood season.

00:18:24In parts of the Amazon,

00:18:25you're talking about

00:18:26a 50-foot rise in water level.

00:18:29Here, we're pretty much

00:18:30among the tops of the trees,

00:18:32so we're able to take the boat

00:18:33right into places

00:18:34that would otherwise

00:18:35be dry land.

00:18:36Rising water allows us

00:18:38just enough depth

00:18:39to sail through

00:18:40these temporary creeks

00:18:42and opens up shortcuts

00:18:43to remote locations.

00:18:46For the creatures

00:18:47that live in the water,

00:18:48what this means is that

00:18:50instead of being confined

00:18:51to the river channels,

00:18:52they are now spreading

00:18:53out into the forest

00:18:54and their territory

00:18:55is greatly increased.

00:18:59Right now,

00:19:00giant caimans

00:19:01have free reign,

00:19:03but water that's too high

00:19:04could see us

00:19:05caught in the canopy

00:19:06and once inside

00:19:08a narrow creek,

00:19:09there's no turning back.

00:19:20At last,

00:19:21the isolated creek

00:19:23where attack survivor

00:19:24Adamor lives.

00:19:26He has to rely

00:19:27on his younger sons

00:19:28for everything

00:19:29as he can barely walk.

00:19:31To avoid the flood water,

00:19:33he confines himself

00:19:34to the upper floor.

00:19:36The attack happened

00:19:3715 years ago,

00:19:38but it left

00:19:39a permanent reminder.

00:19:43So he's walking along

00:19:44in the water,

00:19:45this shallow water,

00:19:46and he said suddenly,

00:19:47almost out of nowhere,

00:19:48this caiman just launched

00:19:49itself at him.

00:19:52This is the thing,

00:19:53they can be there

00:19:54and you just don't know it.

00:19:57The upper jaw

00:19:57made contact

00:19:58with his chest

00:19:59and then the lower jaw

00:20:00in the stomach.

00:20:04No time at all,

00:20:05he was covered in mud,

00:20:06he couldn't see anything.

00:20:07He was shouting,

00:20:08he was screaming.

00:20:11And this thing,

00:20:12he says it was shaking him,

00:20:13shaking him.

00:20:14He said he could see its eyes,

00:20:15so he put this thumb

00:20:16in its eye.

00:20:19He thinks because

00:20:20his thumb was in its eye,

00:20:22it let go.

00:20:29From that point on,

00:20:30it didn't bite him again,

00:20:31it just went off

00:20:32a little distance.

00:20:33He said it was just

00:20:34sitting there,

00:20:35just waiting for him to die.

00:20:39He said there were basically,

00:20:41you know,

00:20:41just flaps of skin hanging,

00:20:43so he had his guts

00:20:44hanging out from his abdomen,

00:20:45and he said,

00:20:46the upper region here,

00:20:47you could see bone.

00:20:50Adamu would have died

00:20:51had not an elder son

00:20:53and a neighbour

00:20:54heard his screams.

00:20:55When they found him,

00:20:56they had to push

00:20:57his mud-covered intestines

00:20:59back into his abdomen

00:21:00before carrying him away.

00:21:03Although he was stitched up

00:21:04at a hospital,

00:21:05his infection raged for months

00:21:07and it took more than a year

00:21:08for him to get back

00:21:09with a feeling

00:21:10in his chest and belly.

00:21:12It's a miracle

00:21:13he survived at all.

00:21:19The thing about this place,

00:21:20this region,

00:21:20is just because

00:21:21of the nature of it,

00:21:23the people live

00:21:24a very aquatic life.

00:21:25They have no choice

00:21:26but to engage

00:21:27with the water

00:21:28and come into contact

00:21:30with the creatures

00:21:31that live in the water.

00:21:32Now, Adamu survived

00:21:34his encounter

00:21:34with the caiman

00:21:35thanks to

00:21:36a combination

00:21:37of physical toughness,

00:21:38presence of mind,

00:21:40willpower,

00:21:41and it has to be said,

00:21:42quite a big dollop

00:21:42of luck as well.

00:21:43But for most people

00:21:44in that situation,

00:21:46meeting an animal like that,

00:21:47the outcome

00:21:48is going to be

00:21:48very different.

00:21:52This horrific account

00:21:53shows how easy

00:21:54it would be

00:21:55for a caiman

00:21:56to tear

00:21:56a vulnerable human

00:21:57limb from limb.

00:21:59But did they play a part

00:22:01in the carnage

00:22:02when the boat went down?

00:22:04The disaster happened

00:22:05in the middle of the night

00:22:06and in very deep water.

00:22:08I'm not sure

00:22:09whether caimans

00:22:09attack in those conditions,

00:22:11but there is a way

00:22:12to find out.

00:22:14Caimans have tried

00:22:15to steal my catches

00:22:16at night before,

00:22:17but that was

00:22:18in shallow margins.

00:22:21Hey!

00:22:21Get out of it!

00:22:24I'm going to try

00:22:24and just pull this up

00:22:25on the side.

00:22:27Oh, f***!

00:22:29F***!

00:22:31Tonight,

00:22:32I'll use a fish

00:22:33to set a trap.

00:22:34I want to hook a fish

00:22:36and let it create

00:22:36a commotion

00:22:37on the surface

00:22:38of deep water

00:22:39to see if it triggers

00:22:40an attack

00:22:41by any caiman out there.

00:22:43It's a risky operation

00:22:44in a small boat,

00:22:46in deep water,

00:22:47in the dark,

00:22:48but it's my only option

00:22:49to find out

00:22:50if caimans should be

00:22:51on my suspect list.

00:22:55It's taken a line.

00:22:56I'm in the Amazon

00:23:08hunting down

00:23:08the perpetrator

00:23:09of lethal attacks

00:23:11on passengers escaping

00:23:12the river's worst

00:23:14boat disaster.

00:23:15Hundreds of people

00:23:16disappeared that night

00:23:17and there are plenty

00:23:18of potential suspects

00:23:19lurking in these

00:23:20murky waters.

00:23:22He had his guts

00:23:22hanging out.

00:23:23He was screaming.

00:23:26I'm trying to discover

00:23:28if black caimans

00:23:29will attack

00:23:30in deep water

00:23:31after dark.

00:23:37It's taken a line.

00:23:38But the fish

00:23:39I've hooked

00:23:39to bait a caiman

00:23:40is a lot more powerful

00:23:42than I expected.

00:23:43This is a Piraiba.

00:24:02But it's a small one.

00:24:04It's strange

00:24:05to talk of a fish

00:24:06as small

00:24:07when it puts a bend

00:24:08in the rod like that.

00:24:08But these grow

00:24:11much bigger than this.

00:24:14A couple hundred pounds

00:24:15and up.

00:24:16It's good to see

00:24:17my first large predator

00:24:19in these waters

00:24:20but I need something

00:24:21smaller and much

00:24:22more manageable

00:24:23for my caiman test.

00:24:25It's been interesting

00:24:25to see it.

00:24:30Could Piraiba

00:24:31be contenders

00:24:32for the attacks

00:24:33on the passengers?

00:24:35I know some

00:24:36have the potential

00:24:36to swallow a man whole.

00:24:39But these giants

00:24:40are at the top

00:24:41of the food pyramid

00:24:42and just aren't

00:24:43very numerous.

00:24:45This stage

00:24:46I don't think

00:24:46they could account

00:24:47for the scale

00:24:48of the carnage.

00:24:52I haven't seen

00:24:53a single eye shine

00:24:54from a caiman.

00:24:56Perhaps my chances

00:24:57of attracting one

00:24:58are very slim

00:24:59in the middle

00:25:00of all this flood water.

00:25:01I need some more

00:25:02local intelligence

00:25:03if I'm to pursue

00:25:04this line

00:25:05in any further.

00:25:11While asking around

00:25:13about any recent

00:25:14caiman sightings

00:25:15I'm told fishermen

00:25:16recently lassoed

00:25:17a giant.

00:25:20It's now being held

00:25:21as a research facility

00:25:23which might give me

00:25:24the access I need

00:25:25to test whether caimans

00:25:27could cause so much

00:25:28carnage

00:25:28in one night.

00:25:38So it was captured

00:25:39in an area

00:25:40where people live

00:25:41where people get

00:25:41in the water

00:25:42they wash

00:25:42they wash their clothes

00:25:43and whatever.

00:25:44It's a big animal

00:25:44it's about 13 and a half

00:25:46foot long

00:25:46it's over 500 pounds

00:25:47in weight.

00:25:48When they got it here

00:25:49they discovered

00:25:50that it was actually

00:25:50blind in one eye

00:25:51this is probably why

00:25:52the fisherman was able

00:25:53to lasso it.

00:25:54It's going to stay here

00:25:55for a little while

00:25:56and then it's going

00:25:56to be released

00:25:57it's going to be released

00:25:57in a reserve

00:25:58where it's not going

00:25:59to come and bother

00:26:00people on the waterfront.

00:26:02There's no doubt

00:26:03caimans attack humans

00:26:05but how would they

00:26:06account for the huge

00:26:07number of missing

00:26:08passengers?

00:26:10Either there was

00:26:10a massive number

00:26:11of caimans

00:26:12at Obydos that night

00:26:13or each predatory

00:26:15reptile was taking

00:26:16down one passenger

00:26:17after another.

00:26:19To test the multiple

00:26:20victim theory

00:26:21I'm under the supervision

00:26:22of a reptile vet

00:26:23and I'm scaling up

00:26:25my line and bait.

00:26:26big time

00:26:27to trigger

00:26:29a first strike.

00:26:49Now I have

00:26:50its undivided attention

00:26:52I'm just trying

00:26:53to see how

00:26:53motivated it is

00:26:55to hang on

00:26:55to that meal.

00:26:57I've used pig

00:26:58as bait

00:26:59as I'm told

00:27:00its flesh

00:27:01tastes very similar

00:27:02to human.

00:27:04I don't think

00:27:05that's a grip

00:27:05that's very easily

00:27:06broken.

00:27:09This beast's instinct

00:27:11is to hold on

00:27:12to its prey

00:27:13at all costs.

00:27:15Why would they

00:27:15risk losing a catch

00:27:17by attacking

00:27:17multiple people

00:27:18in a matter of minutes?

00:27:20time to cut

00:27:23and run

00:27:23and find out

00:27:24about the other

00:27:25theory.

00:27:26In a river

00:27:27as vast

00:27:27as the Amazon

00:27:28could there

00:27:29have been

00:27:29hundreds of

00:27:30caimans in the

00:27:31area when the

00:27:32boat went down?

00:27:34Anselmo de Fonseca

00:27:35has studied

00:27:36their populations

00:27:37in the wild.

00:27:37Obydos is the

00:27:38closest area

00:27:40of the Amazon

00:27:41The thing

00:27:42about Obydos

00:27:43is that the river

00:27:43there is

00:27:44by Amazonian standards

00:27:45it's narrow

00:27:46there's a strong

00:27:47current

00:27:47and this isn't

00:27:48the preferred

00:27:48habitat of caimans.

00:27:50But normally

00:27:51the preferential areas

00:27:52are the areas

00:27:53more calm.

00:27:53They prefer

00:27:54calm water

00:27:55they prefer

00:27:56backwaters

00:27:57lakes.

00:27:58It's difficult

00:27:59to have a great

00:28:00occurrence

00:28:00of caimans

00:28:01at that point.

00:28:02So he said

00:28:02it's very unlikely

00:28:03that they would

00:28:04come close to

00:28:05a city

00:28:05close to people

00:28:06they don't

00:28:06tolerate caimans.

00:28:08So at the time

00:28:09of the boat

00:28:09disaster

00:28:10caimans numbers

00:28:11were very low.

00:28:12This knocks

00:28:13them off

00:28:13the top

00:28:14contender spot.

00:28:16Something else

00:28:16is out there.

00:28:21Just as the Amazon

00:28:22dwarfs the world's

00:28:24other rivers

00:28:25the scale

00:28:26of its biggest

00:28:26disaster

00:28:27overshadows

00:28:29all my other

00:28:30investigations.

00:28:32With the staggering

00:28:33number of people

00:28:34who were killed

00:28:35injured

00:28:36or went missing

00:28:38on one night.

00:28:42One of the boatmen

00:28:44has told me

00:28:44that most of the

00:28:45bodies recovered

00:28:45from the accident

00:28:46were buried in town

00:28:48but confusion

00:28:49still reigns

00:28:50over the numbers

00:28:51involved.

00:28:57It's usually

00:28:58a matter of

00:28:58family honour

00:28:59to keep the graves

00:29:01of loved ones

00:29:01in good condition

00:29:02but in the middle

00:29:04of the cemetery

00:29:05I find a line

00:29:06of graves

00:29:07that are near

00:29:08derelict.

00:29:09This is where

00:29:10the victims

00:29:11are buried.

00:29:13Some of them

00:29:13identified

00:29:14but mostly not.

00:29:16There's two reasons

00:29:16for this.

00:29:17Here in the tropics

00:29:18it was necessary

00:29:18to bury

00:29:19everybody quickly

00:29:20certainly long

00:29:21before word

00:29:22could be got out

00:29:22to family

00:29:23who could then

00:29:24arrive at the scene.

00:29:25Also because

00:29:26apparently a lot

00:29:28of the bodies

00:29:28weren't intact

00:29:29they were burying

00:29:29body parts

00:29:30and this was

00:29:31pre-DNA testing

00:29:33so this is why

00:29:35to this day

00:29:36nobody knows

00:29:38for sure

00:29:39exactly how many

00:29:40people died.

00:29:42It's estimated

00:29:43that these mass graves

00:29:45hold as many

00:29:46as 200 bodies

00:29:47but because

00:29:49they were unidentified

00:29:50no one knows

00:29:52who's here.

00:29:55And I now suspect

00:29:56that a similar number

00:29:57could have stayed

00:29:59in the water

00:29:59victim to

00:30:01who knows what.

00:30:03So what exactly

00:30:05did happen?

00:30:06I feel I owe it

00:30:07to the passengers

00:30:08and crew

00:30:09of the Sobral Santos

00:30:10to search

00:30:11for an answer.

00:30:14Just as I'm

00:30:15leaving the cemetery

00:30:16I meet a mother

00:30:17and daughter

00:30:18visiting one

00:30:19of the few

00:30:20marked graves.

00:30:24Both survived

00:30:25the disaster

00:30:26but one of their

00:30:27family didn't.

00:30:31The mother agrees

00:30:33to meet with me

00:30:33later

00:30:34by the river

00:30:35to tell me

00:30:36what happened

00:30:36to her

00:30:37the night

00:30:38the Sobral Santos

00:30:39went down.

00:30:40She said that

00:30:48the family

00:30:50was actually

00:30:50moving to Manaus

00:30:51so she got on

00:30:53the boat

00:30:54with four

00:30:55young children

00:30:56between the ages

00:30:58of seven and two

00:30:59to start with

00:31:00there's lots of

00:31:01space.

00:31:03She says

00:31:04three boats

00:31:05normally operated

00:31:06this route

00:31:07but one was

00:31:08out of service

00:31:09and the other

00:31:10had just broken

00:31:10down

00:31:11so the Sobral Santos

00:31:13was taking on

00:31:14all the passengers

00:31:15and cargo.

00:31:17More and more

00:31:17people got on

00:31:18she said it was

00:31:19getting to the point

00:31:19where it was just

00:31:20ridiculous

00:31:20there were so many

00:31:21people on

00:31:21the hammock

00:31:22so densely

00:31:23packed together

00:31:24and it actually

00:31:25got to the point

00:31:25where she was

00:31:26wanting to get off.

00:31:27but by that time

00:31:31in fact that the boat

00:31:32was already

00:31:32in the middle

00:31:33of the river

00:31:34it had just

00:31:35left

00:31:36without really

00:31:37any notice

00:31:38so she's on

00:31:39the boat

00:31:39traveling.

00:31:41She said though

00:31:41that she wasn't

00:31:43sleeping

00:31:43she was very

00:31:44worried

00:31:44so when the boat

00:31:46arrived

00:31:46in Obilos

00:31:48she was

00:31:48still awake.

00:31:49at 3.30 in the morning

00:31:54she heard a crash

00:31:56shouting

00:31:57and then

00:31:59scraping metal

00:32:01within minutes

00:32:03her life

00:32:03would be changed

00:32:05forever.

00:32:05While investigating

00:32:12the fate

00:32:12of the Sobral Santos

00:32:13I uncovered

00:32:14a chilling

00:32:15personal connection

00:32:16to the doomed boat

00:32:17find out what it is

00:32:18after this.

00:32:21While investigating

00:32:22the Sobral Santos

00:32:23I discovered

00:32:24the wreck

00:32:25was salvaged

00:32:26sold

00:32:26refurbished

00:32:27and renamed

00:32:28and I unknowingly

00:32:29sailed 900 miles

00:32:31on the ship

00:32:31of ghosts

00:32:32on my first

00:32:33trip to the Amazon.

00:32:35I'm scouring

00:32:41the mighty

00:32:42Amazon River

00:32:42to uncover

00:32:43the killer

00:32:44that tore

00:32:45into passengers

00:32:46trying to escape

00:32:47from the river's

00:32:48biggest boat

00:32:49disaster.

00:32:50A survivor

00:32:52Giusalina Kalares

00:32:53has bravely

00:32:54agreed to meet me

00:32:55right by the place

00:32:57where the boat

00:32:58went down.

00:33:03She said

00:33:04the first thing

00:33:04that

00:33:04alerted her

00:33:06to something

00:33:06being wrong

00:33:07was crashing

00:33:08sound made

00:33:09by falling

00:33:10bottles

00:33:10on the upper deck.

00:33:15She jumped

00:33:16down from her

00:33:16hammock

00:33:16and actually

00:33:17went straight

00:33:17into the water

00:33:18because the boat

00:33:20was already

00:33:21in the process

00:33:21of tipping over.

00:33:22she's under the water

00:33:26and she has

00:33:27some kind of crate

00:33:28that's trapped

00:33:29her foot.

00:33:31She had to rip

00:33:32her foot out

00:33:33and she said

00:33:33in the process

00:33:34of this

00:33:34it cut

00:33:35her foot was

00:33:36bleeding.

00:33:38She came

00:33:38to the surface

00:33:39and hung

00:33:44on to her

00:33:45that was

00:33:46when she

00:33:47grabbed hold

00:33:47of a bench

00:33:48floating past.

00:33:50At that point

00:33:50she was actually

00:33:51in the middle

00:33:51of the river.

00:33:52The boat

00:33:53was gone

00:33:54and the waters

00:33:55of Obydos

00:33:55were filled

00:33:56with battered

00:33:56and bleeding

00:33:57passengers.

00:33:57it was the

00:33:58perfect storm

00:33:59that put

00:34:00weakened prey

00:34:01right in front

00:34:02of predators.

00:34:04It was very dark

00:34:05you could see

00:34:06a certain amount

00:34:07but she said

00:34:07there was lots

00:34:08of screaming

00:34:09and then

00:34:13just gradually

00:34:15they one by one

00:34:16disappeared

00:34:17onto the surface.

00:34:27It was then

00:34:38just silence.

00:34:48She was bleeding

00:34:49quite heavily

00:34:49from her foot

00:34:50and people

00:34:51actually said

00:34:51to her

00:34:51you were

00:34:52you were lucky

00:34:52you weren't

00:34:53attacked

00:34:54by something

00:34:54in the water.

00:34:57A boat

00:34:57found them

00:34:58in the darkness

00:34:59and took them

00:35:00to the hospital

00:35:00where they were

00:35:01treating two

00:35:02of her other

00:35:03children

00:35:04but her two

00:35:05year old son

00:35:06Rui

00:35:07was missing.

00:35:08His body

00:35:09was found

00:35:10in the river

00:35:11the next day

00:35:12in the afternoon

00:35:13so he didn't

00:35:14survive.

00:35:27although this

00:35:38disaster happened

00:35:38more than 30

00:35:39years ago now

00:35:40it's very clear

00:35:41that the memory

00:35:42of it is still

00:35:42very much alive

00:35:43in the minds

00:35:44of many people.

00:35:46I think what I

00:35:47found most chilling

00:35:47from dear Zalina's

00:35:49account was her

00:35:49description of how

00:35:50all the people

00:35:52around her

00:35:53screaming on the

00:35:54surface

00:35:54gradually became

00:35:55silent one by one

00:35:56as they disappeared

00:35:58beneath the surface

00:35:59and the other

00:36:02thing it really

00:36:03and the other

00:36:04thing it really

00:36:05brings home to me

00:36:06is how just the

00:36:08magnitude of this

00:36:09incident just far

00:36:10surpasses anything

00:36:11that I've looked

00:36:12into before.

00:36:13Zalina's tragic

00:36:18testimony is

00:36:20starting to fill

00:36:20in some of the

00:36:21missing pieces

00:36:22of this puzzle

00:36:23yet so much

00:36:24still remains

00:36:25a mystery

00:36:25even though

00:36:26the boat

00:36:27went down

00:36:27right off

00:36:28the edge

00:36:29of the dock

00:36:29what exactly

00:36:31is in these

00:36:33waters

00:36:33I'll need to

00:36:41pursue every

00:36:41lead

00:36:42examine every

00:36:43contender

00:36:44however tenuous

00:36:46if I'm to uncover

00:36:47the perpetrator

00:36:48of the horrific

00:36:49carnage

00:36:49alongside the

00:36:51Piraiba

00:36:52the Amazon's

00:36:53other super

00:36:54heavyweight

00:36:54is the

00:36:55Arapaima

00:36:55I felt the

00:36:59full weight

00:37:00of one of

00:37:01these

00:37:01and it left

00:37:02me injured

00:37:03for weeks

00:37:04but they

00:37:04aren't found

00:37:05in fast

00:37:06flowing rivers

00:37:06and their

00:37:07method of

00:37:08attack

00:37:08doesn't fit

00:37:09the victim's

00:37:10injuries

00:37:10an Arapaima

00:37:11either rams

00:37:12its target

00:37:13or crushes

00:37:15prey against

00:37:15the roof

00:37:16of its mouth

00:37:16they don't

00:37:18strip flesh

00:37:19or tear

00:37:20limb from

00:37:20limb

00:37:21what I'm

00:37:22really looking

00:37:22for is

00:37:23a predatory

00:37:24fish that's

00:37:24large enough

00:37:25but also

00:37:25which is

00:37:26present in

00:37:27significant

00:37:27numbers

00:37:28one way

00:37:30to see

00:37:31what other

00:37:31heavyweight

00:37:32predators

00:37:32operate in

00:37:33the Amazon

00:37:33is to

00:37:34check out

00:37:35the fish

00:37:35market

00:37:36the largest

00:37:36one is

00:37:37right in

00:37:38the heart

00:37:38of the

00:37:38rainforest

00:37:39fishing boats

00:37:41bring their

00:37:41catches here

00:37:42from hundreds

00:37:43of miles

00:37:43around

00:37:44to get

00:37:45there

00:37:45I'm

00:37:45completing

00:37:46the intended

00:37:46journey

00:37:47of the

00:37:47Sobral Santos

00:37:48almost

00:37:49350 miles

00:37:50upstream

00:37:51to Manaus

00:37:52this is

00:37:56this is a thing

00:37:56called a

00:37:56kuyu

00:37:57it's a type

00:37:59of catfish

00:37:59but it's got

00:38:00armoured plates

00:38:01as well as

00:38:02having them

00:38:02on the head

00:38:03it's got this

00:38:04row of

00:38:04sort of

00:38:05bony scales

00:38:06down the side

00:38:06some people

00:38:07call these

00:38:07ripsaw catfish

00:38:08it's almost

00:38:09like the

00:38:09teeth of a

00:38:10saw

00:38:10coming down

00:38:10the side

00:38:11quite a

00:38:13small

00:38:14mouth

00:38:14but strong

00:38:17enough to

00:38:17vacuum up

00:38:18crustaceans

00:38:19and insect

00:38:19larvae

00:38:20from the

00:38:20riverbed

00:38:21but when the

00:38:23forest is

00:38:23flooded

00:38:23like now

00:38:24it prefers

00:38:26seeds

00:38:26and fruit

00:38:27and what's

00:38:29interesting

00:38:30is that

00:38:30they've

00:38:30hacked

00:38:31through

00:38:32the fins

00:38:33here

00:38:33hacked

00:38:34through

00:38:34there

00:38:35hacked

00:38:35through

00:38:35there

00:38:36basically

00:38:37they've

00:38:38got pointed

00:38:38spines

00:38:39on there

00:38:39and if

00:38:39you shove

00:38:39a load

00:38:40of these

00:38:40in a sack

00:38:41and someone

00:38:41puts them

00:38:41on their

00:38:41head

00:38:42it's

00:38:43going to

00:38:43hurt

00:38:43so

00:38:44this is

00:38:49arowana

00:38:49they feed

00:38:51on the

00:38:51surface

00:38:52you often

00:38:52find them

00:38:53right up

00:38:54on the

00:38:54surface

00:38:54of the

00:38:54water

00:38:55they've

00:38:57got this

00:38:57mouth

00:38:57that just

00:38:58opens up

00:38:59it's a bit

00:39:00like the

00:39:00back of a

00:39:01cargo plane

00:39:01almost

00:39:02predatory

00:39:03fish

00:39:03little teeth

00:39:04around the

00:39:05edge

00:39:05some

00:39:09interesting

00:39:09fish

00:39:10but not

00:39:10the variety

00:39:11or size

00:39:12I saw

00:39:12last time

00:39:13I was

00:39:13here

00:39:13it's

00:39:15very

00:39:16fresh

00:39:16isn't it

00:39:17good

00:39:17I don't

00:39:18know

00:39:18have you

00:39:19another

00:39:19fish

00:39:19here

00:39:19today

00:39:20no

00:39:21sorry

00:39:22sorry

00:39:22yeah

00:39:23you can see

00:39:24the only

00:39:24big fish

00:39:25I'm likely

00:39:25to see

00:39:26today

00:39:26are these

00:39:27and these

00:39:28actually aren't

00:39:28very big

00:39:29as they're

00:39:29behind

00:39:29ago

00:39:30so these

00:39:31were called

00:39:31fairly locally

00:39:32this is

00:39:36this is interesting

00:39:36these are

00:39:37actually farmed

00:39:38which is

00:39:38something that's

00:39:38happening

00:39:39increasingly

00:39:39it's taken

00:39:40the pressure

00:39:40off the

00:39:41wild stock

00:39:41it's actually

00:39:42forbidden to

00:39:43catch these

00:39:44in the wild

00:39:45except in certain

00:39:46circumstances

00:39:46they might start

00:39:48coming back

00:39:48in the wild

00:39:48as a result

00:39:49I'm not

00:39:50seeing any

00:39:51obvious

00:39:51suspects

00:39:52at the

00:39:52fish market

00:39:52but I've

00:39:53got another

00:39:53place to

00:39:54check out

00:39:55a fishing

00:39:56tackle shop

00:39:57that's got

00:39:57an extraordinary

00:39:58display of

00:39:59bizarre catches

00:40:00collected over

00:40:01the decades

00:40:01these mummified

00:40:03fish might

00:40:04give me an

00:40:05insight into

00:40:06what could

00:40:06have been

00:40:06in the river

00:40:07when the

00:40:08boat went

00:40:08down

00:40:09hanging from

00:40:11the ceiling

00:40:11is a rogues

00:40:12gallery of

00:40:13specimens

00:40:13but one

00:40:15stands out

00:40:15in size

00:40:16alone

00:40:17at around

00:40:18eight foot

00:40:19long

00:40:19well

00:40:21at first

00:40:23sight

00:40:23this

00:40:23could

00:40:24be

00:40:24a

00:40:25large

00:40:25piraíba

00:40:26but

00:40:26looking

00:40:27closer

00:40:28absolutely

00:40:28not

00:40:29five

00:40:29gill slits

00:40:30one

00:40:31two

00:40:31three

00:40:31four

00:40:31five

00:40:32and

00:40:33the

00:40:33teeth

00:40:33give it

00:40:34away

00:40:34this

00:40:35is

00:40:35a bull

00:40:36shark

00:40:36this

00:40:37is

00:40:37a bull

00:40:37shark

00:40:37where

00:40:40did

00:40:40this

00:40:40come

00:40:40from

00:40:40exactly

00:40:41where

00:40:43did

00:40:44this

00:40:44come

00:40:45down

00:40:46down

00:40:47well

00:40:51the story

00:40:52behind this

00:40:52bull shark

00:40:53is that

00:40:53it was

00:40:54caught

00:40:54about

00:40:5530

00:40:55years

00:40:55ago

00:40:55in the

00:40:57mid-80s

00:40:58thereabouts

00:40:58and

00:40:59apparently

00:41:00it weighed

00:41:01something

00:41:02over 200

00:41:03pounds

00:41:03came in

00:41:04on a

00:41:04fishing boat

00:41:05probably

00:41:06on a

00:41:06long line

00:41:07that the

00:41:07fishermen

00:41:07had put

00:41:08out for

00:41:08catfish

00:41:08but

00:41:10yeah

00:41:11quite a

00:41:12beast

00:41:12bull sharks

00:41:14are one

00:41:15of the

00:41:15few sharks

00:41:16that can

00:41:16survive

00:41:16in fresh

00:41:17water

00:41:17they've

00:41:18been found

00:41:192,500

00:41:19miles up

00:41:20the Amazon

00:41:21from the

00:41:21ocean

00:41:21way past

00:41:23Obydos

00:41:23and Manaus

00:41:24one

00:41:25even

00:41:25attacked

00:41:26a

00:41:26woman

00:41:26near

00:41:26here

00:41:27back

00:41:27in

00:41:27the

00:41:271980s

00:41:28so

00:41:29this

00:41:30ferocious

00:41:30predator

00:41:31was

00:41:31around

00:41:32at the

00:41:32time

00:41:32of the

00:41:32Obydos

00:41:33boat

00:41:33disaster

00:41:34it's

00:41:35a lead

00:41:36I have

00:41:36to

00:41:36follow

00:41:37up

00:41:37at

00:41:38the

00:41:38harbor

00:41:38I

00:41:39hear

00:41:39recent

00:41:39reports

00:41:40of

00:41:40multiple

00:41:41dorsal

00:41:41fins

00:41:41breaking

00:41:42the

00:41:42surface

00:41:43if

00:41:44these

00:41:45known

00:41:45man

00:41:45eaters

00:41:46are

00:41:46as

00:41:46numerous

00:41:47as

00:41:47these

00:41:47reports

00:41:48suggest

00:41:49could

00:41:50bull sharks

00:41:50have played

00:41:51a part

00:41:51in the

00:41:52Amazon

00:41:52apocalypse

00:41:53I'm

00:42:05traveling

00:42:06the

00:42:06mighty

00:42:06Amazon

00:42:07river

00:42:07to

00:42:08uncover

00:42:08the

00:42:09killer

00:42:09that

00:42:10tore

00:42:10into

00:42:10passengers

00:42:11trying

00:42:11to

00:42:11escape

00:42:12from

00:42:13the

00:42:13river's

00:42:14biggest

00:42:14boat

00:42:15disaster

00:42:15my

00:42:21latest

00:42:21suspect

00:42:22the

00:42:23bull

00:42:23shark

00:42:23I

00:42:24found a

00:42:25specimen

00:42:25that

00:42:26places

00:42:26this

00:42:26known

00:42:27man

00:42:27eater

00:42:27in

00:42:28the

00:42:28right

00:42:28place

00:42:29at

00:42:29the

00:42:29right

00:42:29time

00:42:30for

00:42:30the

00:42:30attack

00:42:31and

00:42:32I

00:42:32found

00:42:32a

00:42:32boatman

00:42:33named

00:42:33Baccaral

00:42:34who

00:42:34has

00:42:34decades

00:42:35of

00:42:35experience

00:42:36on

00:42:37the

00:42:37river

00:42:37on

00:42:38the

00:42:38river

00:42:38on

00:42:39the

00:42:39river

00:42:39I

00:42:41asked

00:42:45him

00:42:45about

00:42:45bull

00:42:46sharks

00:42:46and he

00:42:46said

00:42:46there's

00:42:48a

00:42:48belief

00:42:48that they

00:42:48follow

00:42:49boats

00:42:49up the

00:42:49river

00:42:50people are

00:42:51throwing

00:42:52food

00:42:52and bits

00:42:53and bobs

00:42:53off the

00:42:53back of

00:42:53the boat

00:42:54and they

00:42:54follow

00:42:54them up

00:42:55but are

00:42:58they

00:42:58here

00:42:58in

00:42:58enough

00:42:59numbers

00:42:59for

00:43:00a

00:43:00mass

00:43:00attack

00:43:01he

00:43:03says

00:43:03now

00:43:04it's

00:43:04pretty

00:43:05well

00:43:05unheard

00:43:06of

00:43:06you

00:43:06just

00:43:06don't

00:43:06see

00:43:06them

00:43:06and

00:43:07even

00:43:07in

00:43:07the

00:43:07old

00:43:08days

00:43:08they

00:43:09used

00:43:09to

00:43:09be

00:43:09very

00:43:10rare

00:43:10a

00:43:11fish

00:43:11so

00:43:12scarce

00:43:12here

00:43:13couldn't

00:43:14be

00:43:14responsible

00:43:14for

00:43:15so

00:43:15much

00:43:15carnage

00:43:16another

00:43:18contender

00:43:18falls

00:43:19off

00:43:19my

00:43:19list

00:43:20but

00:43:22all

00:43:22is

00:43:22not

00:43:22lost

00:43:23he

00:43:24says

00:43:25there's

00:43:25another

00:43:25large

00:43:26predator

00:43:26in

00:43:27the

00:43:27river

00:43:27these

00:43:28grow

00:43:29as

00:43:29big

00:43:29as

00:43:30the

00:43:30bull

00:43:30shark

00:43:30in

00:43:30the

00:43:30tackle

00:43:31shop

00:43:31but

00:43:31are

00:43:32faster

00:43:32and

00:43:33more

00:43:33agile

00:43:34and

00:43:34there's

00:43:35a lot

00:43:35of

00:43:35these

00:43:36lethal

00:43:36hunters

00:43:36out

00:43:37there

00:43:37he

00:43:40says

00:43:40it's

00:43:40actually

00:43:40very

00:43:40common

00:43:41to see

00:43:41five

00:43:42or

00:43:42six

00:43:42of

00:43:42them

00:43:42together

00:43:43on

00:43:46occasion

00:43:46maybe

00:43:47as

00:43:47much

00:43:47as

00:43:4720

00:43:48or

00:43:48even

00:43:48more

00:43:48than

00:43:48that

00:43:49huge

00:43:49backs

00:43:50breaking

00:43:50the

00:43:51surface

00:43:51the

00:43:53alien

00:43:54looking

00:43:54amazon

00:43:55river

00:43:55dolphin

00:43:56the

00:43:57boto

00:43:57these

00:43:58top

00:43:58predators

00:43:59are here

00:43:59in large

00:44:00numbers

00:44:00and

00:44:01aggressively

00:44:01compete

00:44:02with

00:44:02fishermen

00:44:02on the

00:44:03river

00:44:03unlike

00:44:04its

00:44:04marine

00:44:05cousins

00:44:05the

00:44:06boto

00:44:06is

00:44:06no

00:44:07fun

00:44:07loving

00:44:07dolphin

00:44:08its

00:44:09reputation

00:44:09is

00:44:10a lot

00:44:10darker

00:44:11turns out

00:44:14people are

00:44:14actually wary

00:44:14of these

00:44:15animals

00:44:15they

00:44:17are

00:44:18well

00:44:18known

00:44:18to

00:44:19knock

00:44:19their

00:44:19canoes

00:44:20and

00:44:22actually

00:44:22tip

00:44:22them

00:44:22out

00:44:23of

00:44:23the

00:44:23canoes

00:44:23into

00:44:23the

00:44:23water

00:44:24they're

00:44:27said

00:44:27to be

00:44:27enchanted

00:44:28but

00:44:29not

00:44:30in a

00:44:30good

00:44:30way

00:44:31some

00:44:32even

00:44:33say

00:44:33they

00:44:33can

00:44:33change

00:44:34into

00:44:34human

00:44:34form

00:44:35to

00:44:35lure

00:44:35people

00:44:36to

00:44:36their

00:44:36death

00:44:36in

00:44:37the

00:44:37river

00:44:37many

00:44:38people

00:44:39here

00:44:39refuse

00:44:39to

00:44:40get

00:44:40in

00:44:40the

00:44:40water

00:44:40when

00:44:41there

00:44:41are

00:44:41botos

00:44:42around

00:44:42often

00:44:46covered

00:44:47in

00:44:47battle

00:44:48scars

00:44:48they've

00:44:49even

00:44:49been

00:44:50known

00:44:50to

00:44:50attack

00:44:51and

00:44:51kill

00:44:51bull

00:44:52sharks

00:44:52but

00:44:56it

00:44:56doesn't

00:44:56stop

00:44:57there

00:44:57I've

00:45:00been

00:45:00talking

00:45:01to

00:45:01some

00:45:01people

00:45:01around

00:45:01town

00:45:02and

00:45:02it

00:45:02turns

00:45:02out

00:45:03a few

00:45:03people

00:45:04have

00:45:04been

00:45:04hospitalized

00:45:04by

00:45:05botos

00:45:05by

00:45:06being

00:45:06rammed

00:45:07by

00:45:07them

00:45:07there

00:45:08are

00:45:08all

00:45:08sorts

00:45:08of

00:45:08estimates

00:45:09for

00:45:09calculating

00:45:10the

00:45:10force

00:45:10a

00:45:10boto

00:45:11can

00:45:11deliver

00:45:11but

00:45:12numbers

00:45:12don't

00:45:13have

00:45:13the

00:45:13same

00:45:13impact

00:45:14as

00:45:14a

00:45:14demonstration

00:45:15to get

00:45:15an

00:45:15idea

00:45:16of

00:45:16it

00:45:16is

00:45:17something

00:45:17a bit

00:45:19like

00:45:19this

00:45:19being hit

00:45:35by a

00:45:36boto

00:45:36is like

00:45:37being in

00:45:37a car

00:45:38when it

00:45:38hits a

00:45:39brick wall

00:45:39at 30

00:45:40miles an

00:45:41hour

00:45:41so I'm

00:45:42left with

00:45:43the question

00:45:43is the

00:45:44river's

00:45:44largest

00:45:45predatory

00:45:45mammal

00:45:46a

00:45:46serial

00:45:47killer

00:45:47I've

00:45:55been

00:45:55told

00:45:56there's

00:45:56a

00:45:56place

00:45:56nearby

00:45:57where

00:45:58wild

00:45:58botos

00:45:59are

00:45:59known

00:45:59to

00:45:59congregate

00:46:00around

00:46:01a

00:46:01desolate

00:46:02house

00:46:02that

00:46:02succumbed

00:46:03to

00:46:03the

00:46:03rising

00:46:04flood

00:46:04waters

00:46:04I

00:46:15got

00:46:16close

00:46:16to

00:46:16botos

00:46:17once

00:46:17before

00:46:18they

00:46:18were

00:46:19big

00:46:19not

00:46:19at all

00:46:20afraid

00:46:20of

00:46:20me

00:46:21and

00:46:21they

00:46:21made

00:46:22me

00:46:22very

00:46:22uneasy

00:46:23they

00:46:23really

00:46:24definitely

00:46:24have

00:46:25dark

00:46:26side

00:46:26that

00:46:28was

00:46:28five

00:46:28years

00:46:29ago

00:46:29but

00:46:30back

00:46:30then

00:46:30I

00:46:31didn't

00:46:31know

00:46:31half

00:46:31of

00:46:32what

00:46:32I

00:46:32know

00:46:32now

00:46:33the

00:46:35only

00:46:35way

00:46:35I'll

00:46:35find

00:46:36out

00:46:36whether

00:46:36they

00:46:37could

00:46:37have

00:46:37gone

00:46:37after

00:46:37the

00:46:38boat

00:46:38victims

00:46:38is

00:46:42to

00:46:43see

00:46:43whether

00:46:44they'll

00:46:44go

00:46:44after

00:46:45me

00:47:03is

00:47:05in the

00:47:06heart

00:47:06of

00:47:06the

00:47:06Amazon

00:47:07I'm

00:47:07on

00:47:07the

00:47:08hunt

00:47:08for

00:47:08the

00:47:08perpetrator

00:47:09of

00:47:09an

00:47:09apocalyptic

00:47:10attack

00:47:11on

00:47:12the

00:47:12survivors

00:47:13of

00:47:13the

00:47:13river's

00:47:13worst

00:47:14ever

00:47:14shipping

00:47:15disaster

00:47:15could

00:47:18it

00:47:18be

00:47:19one

00:47:19of

00:47:19the

00:47:19Amazon's

00:47:20top

00:47:20freshwater

00:47:20predators

00:47:21the

00:47:21otherworldly

00:47:22Botou

00:47:23river

00:47:23dolphin

00:47:24is

00:47:26they're

00:47:28going to

00:47:29react to

00:47:29me

00:47:29is

00:47:30there

00:47:31anything

00:47:31behind

00:47:32the

00:47:32legend

00:47:32that

00:47:32they

00:47:33lure

00:47:33people

00:47:33to

00:47:33their

00:47:34deaths

00:47:34in

00:47:34the

00:47:34river

00:47:35there's

00:47:36only

00:47:36one

00:47:36way

00:47:37to

00:47:37find

00:47:37out

00:47:38these

00:48:01animals

00:48:02can

00:48:02attack

00:48:03in

00:48:03two

00:48:03ways

00:48:04with

00:48:05dozens

00:48:05of

00:48:05sharp

00:48:06teeth

00:48:06or

00:48:07a

00:48:07head

00:48:07butt

00:48:07that

00:48:08can

00:48:08take

00:48:08out

00:48:08a

00:48:09shark

00:48:09and

00:48:10I've

00:48:11got

00:48:11no

00:48:11idea

00:48:11how

00:48:12many

00:48:12of

00:48:12them

00:48:12know

00:48:13that

00:48:13I'm

00:48:13here

00:48:14these

00:48:16things

00:48:17they

00:48:17seem

00:48:17to

00:48:17disappear

00:48:18from

00:48:19nowhere

00:48:19I

00:48:21think

00:48:21I'm

00:48:22under

00:48:22surveillance

00:48:22by a

00:48:23group

00:48:23of

00:48:24six

00:48:24or

00:48:24seven

00:48:25predators

00:48:25I'm

00:48:28very

00:48:28wary

00:48:29of the

00:48:29unpredictable

00:48:29nature

00:48:30of

00:48:30wild

00:48:31animals

00:48:31especially

00:48:32ones

00:48:33that

00:48:33aren't

00:48:33afraid

00:48:33of

00:48:34me

00:48:34you

00:48:38get

00:48:38this

00:48:38sense

00:48:38that

00:48:38they're

00:48:38definitely

00:48:39checking

00:48:39you

00:48:39out

00:48:39they're

00:48:40checking

00:48:40me

00:48:40out

00:48:40and I

00:48:41have

00:48:41to

00:48:41submit

00:48:41to

00:48:41it

00:48:41but

00:48:42they're

00:48:42trying

00:48:42to

00:48:42see

00:48:42if

00:48:42I

00:48:43am

00:48:43well

00:48:44maybe

00:48:44food

00:48:44but

00:48:45also

00:48:45they

00:48:45want

00:48:45to

00:48:45see

00:48:45if

00:48:46I'm

00:48:46a threat

00:48:46and I

00:48:47think

00:48:47if

00:48:47they see

00:48:47me

00:48:47as

00:48:47a threat

00:48:48that

00:48:48is

00:48:48bad

00:48:48news

00:48:49for

00:48:49me

00:48:49there's

00:48:50no

00:48:50way I

00:48:50can

00:48:50swim

00:48:51away

00:48:51from

00:48:51them

00:48:51quicker

00:48:52than

00:48:52they can

00:48:52swim

00:48:52there's

00:48:53no

00:48:53way I

00:48:53can

00:48:53resist

00:48:54them

00:48:54either

00:48:54these

00:48:55are

00:48:55solid

00:48:55they're

00:48:55big

00:48:55they're

00:48:56solid

00:48:56I

00:48:57get

00:48:57the

00:48:57feeling

00:48:57it's

00:48:57very

00:48:57much

00:48:58on

00:48:58their

00:48:58terms

00:48:58and

00:48:59I'm

00:48:59very

00:48:59much

00:49:00out

00:49:00of

00:49:00place

00:49:01when

00:49:01I'm

00:49:01in

00:49:01their

00:49:01murky

00:49:02world

00:49:02their

00:49:03hyper

00:49:04flexible

00:49:04necks

00:49:05and

00:49:05rotating

00:49:05flippers

00:49:06enable

00:49:07them

00:49:07to

00:49:07pursue

00:49:07prey

00:49:08amongst

00:49:09the

00:49:09submerged

00:49:09tree

00:49:10trunks

00:49:10of

00:49:10the

00:49:11flooded

00:49:11forest

00:49:11their

00:49:12ability

00:49:13to

00:49:13communicate

00:49:13with

00:49:14each

00:49:14other

00:49:14lets

00:49:15them

00:49:15coordinate

00:49:16attacks

00:49:16on

00:49:17prey

00:49:17and

00:49:18echolocation

00:49:19means

00:49:20they

00:49:20can

00:49:20home

00:49:21in

00:49:21on

00:49:21objects

00:49:21as

00:49:22small

00:49:22as

00:49:22a

00:49:22pin

00:49:23in

00:49:23murky

00:49:23water

00:49:24even

00:49:25at

00:49:25night

00:49:25they

00:49:27would

00:49:27have

00:49:27no

00:49:28problem

00:49:28negotiating

00:49:29a boat

00:49:29full

00:49:29of

00:49:30passengers

00:49:30as

00:49:31it

00:49:31sank

00:49:31beneath

00:49:32the

00:49:32surface

00:49:32so

00:49:40what

00:49:41happened

00:49:41on that

00:49:41night

00:49:41when

00:49:41the

00:49:41boat

00:49:42went

00:49:42down

00:49:42were

00:49:42dolphins

00:49:43in

00:49:43any

00:49:43way

00:49:43involved

00:49:44in

00:49:45the

00:49:45carnage

00:49:45that

00:49:45people

00:49:46describe

00:49:46well

00:49:46first

00:49:47of

00:49:47all

00:49:47were

00:49:48they

00:49:48there

00:49:48were

00:49:49they

00:49:49at

00:49:49the

00:49:49seen

00:49:49and

00:49:49I

00:49:49have

00:49:49no

00:49:50doubt

00:49:50that

00:49:50they

00:49:50would

00:49:50have

00:49:50been

00:49:50at

00:49:51that

00:49:51time

00:49:51in

00:49:51particular

00:49:52the

00:49:52dolphins

00:49:52were

00:49:53very

00:49:53numerous

00:49:53in

00:49:53the

00:49:53river

00:49:54they

00:49:54would

00:49:54have

00:49:54been

00:49:55aware

00:49:55that

00:49:55something

00:49:55was

00:49:55happening

00:49:56and

00:49:58there's

00:49:58no doubt

00:49:59these

00:49:59formidable

00:50:00hunters

00:50:00are

00:50:01armed

00:50:01and

00:50:01dangerous

00:50:02but

00:50:03when it

00:50:03comes

00:50:04to

00:50:04humans

00:50:04the

00:50:05Boto

00:50:05has

00:50:05one

00:50:06weakness

00:50:06it's

00:50:07jaw

00:50:08muscles

00:50:08the

00:50:09Boto's

00:50:09toothline

00:50:10beak

00:50:10is

00:50:11perfect

00:50:11for

00:50:11seizing

00:50:12and

00:50:12gripping

00:50:12slippery

00:50:13fish

00:50:13but

00:50:14it

00:50:14doesn't

00:50:15have

00:50:15the

00:50:15crushing

00:50:16vice

00:50:16like

00:50:16power

00:50:17of

00:50:17the

00:50:17caiman

00:50:17they

00:50:19can

00:50:19deliver

00:50:19a

00:50:20crippling

00:50:20head

00:50:20butt

00:50:21against

00:50:21people

00:50:22who

00:50:22provoke

00:50:22them

00:50:22but

00:50:23they

00:50:23can't

00:50:24rip

00:50:24limb

00:50:25from

00:50:25limb

00:50:25their

00:50:27probing

00:50:27curiosity

00:50:28makes

00:50:29me

00:50:29feel

00:50:29uneasy

00:50:30but

00:50:30I've

00:50:31seen

00:50:31no

00:50:31unprovoked

00:50:32aggression

00:50:32and

00:50:34although

00:50:34that

00:50:34curiosity

00:50:35could

00:50:35have

00:50:35drawn

00:50:36them

00:50:36right

00:50:36into

00:50:36the

00:50:36middle

00:50:37of

00:50:37the

00:50:37chaos

00:50:37on

00:50:38the

00:50:38night

00:50:38of

00:50:39the

00:50:39accident

00:50:39I

00:50:40don't

00:50:41think

00:50:41they

00:50:41were

00:50:41responsible

00:50:42for

00:50:42any

00:50:42of

00:50:42the

00:50:42carnage

00:50:43that

00:50:43the

00:50:43witnesses

00:50:43described

00:50:44but

00:50:46something

00:50:46in

00:50:47this

00:50:47water

00:50:47was

00:50:48I've

00:50:49now

00:50:49investigated

00:50:50all

00:50:50the

00:50:50obvious

00:50:51suspects

00:50:51the

00:50:52Amazon

00:50:52predators

00:50:53large

00:50:53enough

00:50:54to take

00:50:54out

00:50:54humans

00:50:55and that

00:50:55have

00:50:55been

00:50:56known

00:50:56to

00:50:56do

00:50:56so

00:50:57but

00:50:57none

00:50:58of

00:50:58them

00:50:58can

00:50:58account

00:50:59for

00:50:59the

00:50:59scale

00:50:59of

00:51:00this

00:51:00massacre

00:51:01so

00:51:03I'm

00:51:03wondering

00:51:04whether

00:51:04it's

00:51:04the

00:51:05number

00:51:05rather

00:51:05than

00:51:06the

00:51:06size

00:51:06of

00:51:06perpetrators

00:51:07that's

00:51:08the

00:51:08key

00:51:08to

00:51:08what

00:51:09happened

00:51:09in

00:51:09the

00:51:10waters

00:51:10at

00:51:10Obidos

00:51:10perhaps

00:51:12the

00:51:12sheer

00:51:12quantity

00:51:13of

00:51:13killers

00:51:14accounts

00:51:14for

00:51:14the

00:51:15carnage

00:51:15if

00:51:16there's

00:51:16one

00:51:16group

00:51:16of

00:51:17people

00:51:17who

00:51:17will

00:51:17know

00:51:17which

00:51:18fish

00:51:18are

00:51:18most

00:51:19numerous

00:51:19here

00:51:19it's

00:51:20the

00:51:20town's

00:51:21fishermen

00:51:21although

00:51:28it was

00:51:28a

00:51:28long

00:51:28time

00:51:29ago

00:51:29they

00:51:29still

00:51:30remember

00:51:30the

00:51:30incident

00:51:30and

00:51:31what

00:51:31they

00:51:31remember

00:51:31in

00:51:31particular

00:51:32that

00:51:32it

00:51:32was

00:51:32a

00:51:33hard

00:51:33time

00:51:33for

00:51:33fishermen

00:51:33because

00:51:34there

00:51:35was

00:51:35a

00:51:35ban

00:51:35imposed

00:51:36on

00:51:37fishing

00:51:37for

00:51:37a

00:51:37number

00:51:38of

00:51:38weeks

00:51:38afterwards

00:51:38and

00:51:39the

00:51:39reason

00:51:39for

00:51:39that

00:51:39was

00:51:40people

00:51:41were

00:51:41starting

00:51:41to

00:51:41catch

00:51:41fish

00:51:42with

00:51:43human

00:51:43remains

00:51:43inside

00:51:44everything

00:51:45had

00:51:46either

00:51:46attacked

00:51:47or

00:51:47scavenged

00:51:48the

00:51:48bodies

00:51:48in

00:51:48the

00:51:48river

00:51:49eventually

00:51:50fishing

00:51:51resumed

00:51:51but

00:51:52fishermen

00:51:53tell

00:51:53me

00:51:53they

00:51:53no

00:51:54longer

00:51:54catch

00:51:54the

00:51:54size

00:51:55of

00:51:55fish

00:51:55they

00:51:56once

00:51:56caught

00:51:56here

00:51:57they

00:51:58say

00:51:58that

00:51:58the

00:51:59fish

00:51:59processing

00:51:59plant

00:52:00used

00:52:01to

00:52:01attract

00:52:01very

00:52:02large

00:52:02fish

00:52:02but

00:52:03it

00:52:04doesn't

00:52:04anymore

00:52:04because

00:52:05they

00:52:05now

00:52:06dispose

00:52:06of

00:52:06the

00:52:06carcasses

00:52:07elsewhere

00:52:08this

00:52:12factory

00:52:12was

00:52:13actually

00:52:13here

00:52:13at

00:52:14the

00:52:14time

00:52:14and

00:52:15one

00:52:15interesting

00:52:15difference

00:52:16though

00:52:16is

00:52:16that

00:52:16today

00:52:17the

00:52:18skeletons

00:52:18the

00:52:19remains

00:52:19that aren't

00:52:20eaten

00:52:20by people

00:52:20they're

00:52:21sent

00:52:21away

00:52:21to

00:52:21make

00:52:21animal

00:52:21feed

00:52:22back

00:52:22then

00:52:22everything

00:52:24was put

00:52:24in the

00:52:24river

00:52:24just

00:52:25right

00:52:25here

00:52:25a matter

00:52:25of

00:52:25yards

00:52:26and

00:52:26it

00:52:27was

00:52:27chumming

00:52:27this

00:52:28eddy

00:52:28you've

00:52:28got

00:52:29here

00:52:29and

00:52:29that

00:52:29inevitably

00:52:30would

00:52:31have

00:52:31created

00:52:31a

00:52:32concentration

00:52:32of

00:52:33fish

00:52:33here

00:52:34way

00:52:35in

00:52:35excess

00:52:35of

00:52:35what

00:52:36you've

00:52:36got

00:52:36today

00:52:36the

00:52:38the

00:52:38waste

00:52:39the

00:52:41fish

00:52:42feeding

00:52:43station

00:52:44which

00:52:45likely

00:52:45attracted

00:52:46big

00:52:46predators

00:52:46from

00:52:47miles

00:52:47around

00:52:48to

00:52:48feed

00:52:49in

00:52:49the

00:52:49deep

00:52:49circulating

00:52:50waters

00:52:50off

00:52:51these

00:52:51docks

00:52:51it

00:52:53had

00:52:53to

00:52:53be

00:52:53the

00:52:53worst

00:52:53place

00:52:54on

00:52:54the

00:52:54Amazon

00:52:54for

00:52:55a

00:52:55boat

00:52:56full

00:52:56of

00:52:56people

00:52:56to

00:52:56go

00:52:57down

00:52:57I

00:53:03need

00:53:03to

00:53:03find

00:53:04out

00:53:04what's

00:53:04in

00:53:04the

00:53:04water

00:53:05around

00:53:05the

00:53:05docks

00:53:06and

00:53:06I'm

00:53:07given

00:53:07special

00:53:07dispensation

00:53:08to

00:53:08fish

00:53:09for

00:53:09one

00:53:09day

00:53:10between

00:53:12dry

00:53:13season

00:53:13and

00:53:13flood

00:53:14the

00:53:14water

00:53:14level

00:53:15here

00:53:15rises

00:53:15more

00:53:16than

00:53:1620

00:53:16feet

00:53:17concealing

00:53:18staircases

00:53:19and

00:53:19gangways

00:53:19beneath

00:53:20the

00:53:20surface

00:53:20there's

00:53:21a lot

00:53:22of

00:53:22structure

00:53:22so

00:53:22fish

00:53:23like

00:53:23this

00:53:23kind

00:53:24of

00:53:24place

00:53:24it

00:53:25gives

00:53:25them

00:53:25plenty

00:53:25of

00:53:26opportunities

00:53:26for

00:53:26cover

00:53:27and

00:53:27the

00:53:27cargo

00:53:28handlers

00:53:28seem

00:53:29to

00:53:29think

00:53:29the

00:53:29same

00:53:29they

00:53:30actually

00:53:30put

00:53:30lines

00:53:31down

00:53:31themselves

00:53:31there's

00:53:32one

00:53:32over

00:53:32there

00:53:32it's

00:53:33going to be

00:53:33a bit

00:53:34snaggy

00:53:34though

00:53:34but I'm

00:53:34going to

00:53:34put a

00:53:35bait

00:53:35down

00:53:35and see

00:53:35what

00:53:36turns

00:53:36up

00:53:37but

00:53:38before I

00:53:39get

00:53:39the

00:53:39chance

00:53:40there's

00:53:40a take

00:53:41on

00:53:41one

00:53:41of

00:53:41the

00:53:41lines

00:53:42right

00:53:53this is

00:54:07before I'm

00:54:07even started

00:54:08it's an

00:54:09armor-plated

00:54:09catfish

00:54:10that's quite a

00:54:12meaty fish

00:54:13that's a very

00:54:15promising start

00:54:16if a fish this size

00:54:18is lurking right

00:54:19under the dock

00:54:20I can't imagine

00:54:21what else might be

00:54:22hiding in these

00:54:23waters

00:54:23but straight away

00:54:26I get a

00:54:27gruesome reply

00:54:28from the other

00:54:29side of the dock

00:54:30as soon as the

00:54:31man started

00:54:31gutting and

00:54:32cleaning his

00:54:33catch in the

00:54:33water

00:54:34hordes of

00:54:35flesh eaters

00:54:35boldly rose

00:54:36from the

00:54:37depths

00:54:37to feast

00:54:38on the

00:54:38kill

00:54:38not the

00:54:41tiny variety

00:54:42that swims

00:54:43up inside

00:54:43people

00:54:44but the

00:54:46kandiru

00:54:46asu

00:54:47the ones

00:54:48that usually

00:54:48bore

00:54:49into dead

00:54:50flesh

00:54:50I've

00:54:51investigated

00:54:52this fish

00:54:53before

00:54:53what looked

00:54:54like bullet

00:54:55holes in

00:54:55a man's

00:54:56body

00:54:56were bore

00:54:59holes from

00:54:59this fish

00:55:00they were

00:55:01eating his

00:55:01body from

00:55:02the inside

00:55:03out

00:55:03so this is

00:55:05what happens

00:55:05when you've

00:55:06got smell

00:55:07in the

00:55:07water

00:55:07this water

00:55:09here is

00:55:09murky

00:55:10it's not

00:55:10clear

00:55:10and yet

00:55:12these fish

00:55:12in probably

00:55:13about 20

00:55:14foot of water

00:55:14can just

00:55:15find that

00:55:16in no time

00:55:17at all

00:55:18just purely

00:55:18from the

00:55:19chemicals

00:55:20that are

00:55:20being released

00:55:20into the

00:55:21water

00:55:21the blood

00:55:21and fragments

00:55:22of meat

00:55:23that speed

00:55:25of response

00:55:25surprises me

00:55:26I thought

00:55:27these creatures

00:55:28sought out

00:55:29soft decomposing

00:55:30bodies to tear

00:55:31into

00:55:31but this fish

00:55:33was alive

00:55:33just minutes

00:55:34ago

00:55:35this is a really

00:55:38horrible fish

00:55:38to handle

00:55:39it's very

00:55:42very muscular

00:55:43and wriggly

00:55:43there's almost

00:55:45no eyes

00:55:46at all

00:55:46on this

00:55:47they don't

00:55:47find their

00:55:47way about

00:55:48by sight

00:55:48it's purely

00:55:49by smell

00:55:49and what

00:55:50they do

00:55:51is they

00:55:51cut a

00:55:51circular

00:55:52lump

00:55:53out

00:55:53if these

00:55:57creatures

00:55:57respond so

00:55:58quickly to

00:55:59fresh blood

00:56:00in the water

00:56:00what would

00:56:01they have

00:56:01made of

00:56:02hundreds of

00:56:03passengers

00:56:03battered by

00:56:04untethered

00:56:05cargo

00:56:05and bleeding

00:56:08into the

00:56:08Amazon

00:56:09as they

00:56:11tried to

00:56:11swim

00:56:12to shore

00:56:12and what

00:56:16else is down

00:56:17there that

00:56:18might be

00:56:18responding to

00:56:19the same

00:56:20signals

00:56:20I don't have

00:56:22much time

00:56:22here but I

00:56:23think it's worth

00:56:24a change of

00:56:24plan

00:56:25I want to

00:56:26see what

00:56:26responds not

00:56:27to fish

00:56:28blood and

00:56:28flesh but

00:56:29mammal

00:56:30it's time

00:56:31to set a

00:56:32trap

00:56:32so that's

00:56:34three bags

00:56:35of entrails

00:56:36fairly bloody

00:56:38but quite

00:56:39fatty

00:56:39that's going

00:56:40to give off

00:56:40quite a bit

00:56:41of odour

00:56:41and what I'm

00:56:43going to do

00:56:44I'm just going

00:56:44to stick it

00:56:44down the water

00:56:45here and see

00:56:45if anything

00:56:46comes along

00:56:46leave that

00:57:01there

00:57:01see what

00:57:02happens

00:57:02to make

00:57:06the most

00:57:06of my time

00:57:07I'm also

00:57:08deploying

00:57:08rod and

00:57:09line

00:57:09to seek

00:57:10out more

00:57:10stealthy

00:57:11predators

00:57:11from the

00:57:12depths

00:57:12with nothing

00:57:29biting

00:57:29I take a

00:57:30minute

00:57:31to check

00:57:31the trap

00:57:32well

00:57:44here we go

00:57:46that's quite

00:57:48a disgusting

00:57:49haul

00:57:49my bloody

00:57:51meaty bait

00:57:52has not

00:57:53disappointed

00:57:54me

00:57:54and the

00:57:57Kandirua

00:57:58Sioux

00:57:58are not

00:57:59alone

00:57:59there's another

00:58:01flesh eater

00:58:01in there

00:58:02with them

00:58:02a fish

00:58:03known as

00:58:04the water

00:58:04vulture

00:58:05or

00:58:06piracachinga

00:58:07it's a catfish

00:58:09no scales

00:58:10quite small

00:58:11eyes

00:58:11but what it

00:58:11has got

00:58:12it's got

00:58:12these very

00:58:12long tentacles

00:58:13which gives

00:58:14some kind

00:58:14of clue

00:58:15as to how

00:58:15it finds

00:58:15its way

00:58:16around

00:58:16finds

00:58:16its food

00:58:17down there

00:58:17in the

00:58:17murky

00:58:17water

00:58:18it might

00:58:19be small

00:58:20but these

00:58:20are present

00:58:21in very

00:58:21large numbers

00:58:22much more

00:58:23numerous

00:58:23than

00:58:24piranhas

00:58:24for example

00:58:25I've been

00:58:26told the

00:58:26wreck was

00:58:27full of

00:58:27these gruesome

00:58:28flesh eaters

00:58:29when it was

00:58:29raised from

00:58:30the depths

00:58:30and they

00:58:31were still

00:58:32feeding on

00:58:32the bodies

00:58:33the teeth

00:58:34are very

00:58:34small

00:58:35but it's

00:58:35actually got

00:58:35a very

00:58:36strong bite

00:58:36for a fish

00:58:37this size

00:58:37so it can

00:58:38easily tear

00:58:38off

00:58:38lumps of

00:58:40flesh

00:58:40although they

00:58:42normally feed

00:58:43on dead

00:58:44creatures

00:58:45in a situation

00:58:46where there's

00:58:48maybe lots of

00:58:48bodies in the

00:58:49water

00:58:49some of them

00:58:51might be alive

00:58:51but actually

00:58:52injured

00:58:52I don't

00:58:54know if

00:58:54these are

00:58:54going to

00:58:54think twice

00:58:55necessarily

00:58:55before they

00:58:56actually get

00:58:57into a

00:58:58wound and

00:58:59start feeding

00:58:59but however

00:59:01large the

00:59:02horde and

00:59:02horrific the

00:59:03attack

00:59:04I'm not

00:59:04sure that

00:59:05even thousands

00:59:05of these

00:59:06little mouths

00:59:07operating alone

00:59:08could be

00:59:09responsible for

00:59:10so many

00:59:10people

00:59:11disappearing

00:59:12so quickly

00:59:13could there

00:59:17have been

00:59:17another player

00:59:18that tipped

00:59:19the balance

00:59:20before I can

00:59:22return to my

00:59:23line I'm

00:59:23approached by

00:59:24a dock

00:59:24supervisor

00:59:25Joao Pamos

00:59:26who tells me

00:59:28about a

00:59:28recent attack

00:59:29on some

00:59:29men

00:59:30who went

00:59:31swimming in

00:59:31the river

00:59:32there were

00:59:38four of

00:59:38them

00:59:38and one

00:59:40of them

00:59:40suddenly got

00:59:40into

00:59:41difficulties

00:59:41he was

00:59:45shouting

00:59:46going for

00:59:47help

00:59:47there was

00:59:51somebody in

00:59:51a boat

00:59:52nearby and

00:59:52he managed

00:59:53to get

00:59:53across to

00:59:54him and

00:59:55hang on

00:59:55to him

00:59:55and there

00:59:57was something

00:59:58holding on

00:59:58to his

00:59:58leg

00:59:59and the

01:00:02guy in

01:00:02the boat

01:00:02was pulling

01:00:03and he

01:00:07actually saw

01:00:07a fish

01:00:08that had

01:00:11swallowed

01:00:11the person's

01:00:12foot almost

01:00:13up to the

01:00:13knee

01:00:13the fish

01:00:17eventually

01:00:18let go

01:00:18but apparently

01:00:26the man's

01:00:27leg was a

01:00:27bit of a

01:00:28mess

01:00:28he actually

01:00:31managed to

01:00:31see this

01:00:32fish closely

01:00:33enough to

01:00:33recognize it

01:00:34and it's a

01:00:34large catfish

01:00:35with a big

01:00:36mouth

01:00:36and it was

01:00:38dragging this

01:00:39guy under

01:00:39the water

01:00:40I've encountered

01:00:44the three

01:00:44biggest catfish

01:00:45in the

01:00:46Amazon

01:00:46before

01:00:47the

01:00:48Piraiba

01:00:48the

01:00:51Jaul

01:00:51and the

01:00:54redtail

01:00:54I've already

01:00:55discounted

01:00:56the Piraiba

01:00:57because they're

01:00:58such solitary

01:00:59predators

01:00:59but could a

01:01:00concentration

01:01:01of another

01:01:02big catfish

01:01:03have wreaked

01:01:03the carnage

01:01:04at the

01:01:05docks

01:01:05primed with

01:01:08this new

01:01:08information

01:01:09and the

01:01:10vision of

01:01:11a large

01:01:11meat-eating

01:01:12catfish

01:01:13on the

01:01:13end of

01:01:13my line

01:01:14I lower

01:01:15a fresh

01:01:15bait

01:01:16deep into

01:01:16the submerged

01:01:17structure

01:01:17I just have

01:01:19to hope I

01:01:19can catch

01:01:20one

01:01:20before my

01:01:2124 hours

01:01:22at the

01:01:22docks

01:01:23are up

01:01:23in other

01:01:28situations

01:01:29I could

01:01:29put the

01:01:30rod down

01:01:31and just

01:01:31listen for

01:01:33a click

01:01:33of the

01:01:34reel

01:01:34but here

01:01:35oh

01:01:37this is

01:01:37something

01:01:38going

01:01:38I'm scouring

01:01:56the depths

01:01:56of the

01:01:57Amazon

01:01:57for a

01:01:58horde

01:01:58of large

01:01:59catfish

01:02:00that may

01:02:01have been

01:02:01tearing

01:02:02into the

01:02:03survivors

01:02:03of a boat

01:02:04disaster

01:02:05in the

01:02:06docks

01:02:06where it

01:02:07all

01:02:07happened

01:02:07I've got

01:02:08a very

01:02:08strong

01:02:09fish

01:02:09on the

01:02:10end

01:02:10of my

01:02:10line

01:02:11oh

01:02:11there's

01:02:11something

01:02:12going

01:02:12oh

01:02:15right

01:02:19I think

01:02:20I think

01:02:21the hook

01:02:21came out

01:02:22what I was

01:02:24going to say

01:02:24was that I

01:02:25can't afford

01:02:26to let

01:02:26anything

01:02:26have

01:02:27even a few

01:02:28inches

01:02:28because it's

01:02:28going to

01:02:29wrap

01:02:29me around

01:02:30something

01:02:30I could have

01:02:31hindsight now

01:02:32I'm thinking

01:02:33I should have

01:02:33let that fish

01:02:34have a little

01:02:34more line

01:02:35but I don't

01:02:36know

01:02:36you do that

01:02:37here and it's

01:02:37just wrapped

01:02:38you around

01:02:38some of the

01:02:38structure

01:02:38that felt like

01:02:41quite a good

01:02:42fish

01:02:42the only way

01:02:44I'll uncover

01:02:45its identity

01:02:46is to get a

01:02:47fresh bait

01:02:47straight back

01:02:48down there

01:02:49but the

01:02:53countless

01:02:53underwater

01:02:53snags

01:02:54are

01:02:57consuming

01:02:57my gear

01:02:58this place

01:03:00is basically

01:03:00eating terminal

01:03:01tackle

01:03:02it's just

01:03:02eating its

01:03:03way through

01:03:03my tackle

01:03:04box

01:03:04I'm just

01:03:05losing

01:03:05so much

01:03:05gear

01:03:06fishing

01:03:09at the

01:03:09attack

01:03:10site

01:03:10has concealed

01:03:11more than

01:03:12it's revealed

01:03:13and that's

01:03:14just one of

01:03:15the hazards

01:03:15of fishing

01:03:15a place

01:03:16like this

01:03:16there's

01:03:16just so

01:03:17much

01:03:17stuff

01:03:17on the

01:03:17bottom

01:03:17my 24

01:03:20hours

01:03:21at the

01:03:21docks

01:03:21are up

01:03:22and I

01:03:23don't have

01:03:23anything

01:03:23to show

01:03:24for it

01:03:24except for

01:03:27the information

01:03:27about the

01:03:28catfish

01:03:28attack

01:03:29if

01:03:34Shaul

01:03:35or Red

01:03:35Tails

01:03:35are contenders

01:03:36surely

01:03:37someone in

01:03:38the town

01:03:38would know

01:03:39about them

01:03:39I tracked

01:03:41down a

01:03:41man who

01:03:42was head

01:03:42of the

01:03:42cargo

01:03:43handlers

01:03:43in the

01:03:44early

01:03:4480s

01:03:44and who

01:03:45remembers

01:03:46what was

01:03:46living in

01:03:47the water

01:03:47back

01:03:47then

01:03:48back

01:03:52at the

01:03:55time

01:03:55when the

01:03:55accident

01:03:55happened

01:03:56there

01:03:56were a lot

01:03:56more fish

01:03:57in the

01:03:57river

01:03:57and also

01:03:58bigger

01:03:58fish

01:03:58as well

01:03:59what's

01:04:00happened

01:04:00since

01:04:00then

01:04:01the

01:04:01reason

01:04:01the

01:04:01numbers

01:04:02have

01:04:02decreased

01:04:03and also

01:04:03the sizes

01:04:03of fish

01:04:04is because

01:04:04there's been

01:04:05a lot

01:04:05more fishing

01:04:06activity

01:04:06and also

01:04:07people

01:04:07these days

01:04:08eat

01:04:08catfish

01:04:08in the

01:04:09old

01:04:09days

01:04:09they

01:04:09didn't

01:04:10it

01:04:11was thought

01:04:12to be

01:04:12unlucky

01:04:12or even

01:04:13dangerous

01:04:14to eat

01:04:14catfish

01:04:15so these

01:04:15predators

01:04:16thrived

01:04:17back then

01:04:21because of

01:04:21the large

01:04:22fish

01:04:22people were

01:04:23afraid to

01:04:24bathe in the

01:04:25river

01:04:25there are

01:04:25stories of

01:04:26women going

01:04:26there with

01:04:27their children

01:04:27children disappearing

01:04:28people putting

01:04:29this down

01:04:30to fish

01:04:31in the

01:04:31water

01:04:31they were

01:04:34in no doubt

01:04:35that catfish

01:04:36were to blame

01:04:37and even today

01:04:38that fear

01:04:39persists

01:04:39what might

01:04:40be in the

01:04:40deep water

01:04:41and

01:04:41you don't

01:04:44see very

01:04:44many people

01:04:45bathing

01:04:46by the

01:04:47riverside

01:04:47there

01:04:48so i have

01:04:58new contenders

01:04:59in my sights

01:05:00but there's

01:05:01no way i can

01:05:01investigate

01:05:02these heavyweight

01:05:03catfish

01:05:03here and

01:05:04now

01:05:05in obydos

01:05:06a lot has

01:05:07happened in

01:05:0730 years

01:05:08here on the

01:05:09main river

01:05:09people eat

01:05:10all manner

01:05:11of catfish

01:05:12that and the

01:05:13increase in

01:05:14commercial fishing

01:05:15generally means

01:05:16i simply won't

01:05:17find the evidence

01:05:18i need here

01:05:18now

01:05:19instead i need

01:05:21to find some

01:05:21corner of the

01:05:22amazon that's in

01:05:23the same state

01:05:23now that the

01:05:25main river was

01:05:26in then

01:05:27so what i really

01:05:29need to do is

01:05:30to travel to a

01:05:31more remote part

01:05:31of the river

01:05:32system relatively

01:05:33untouched by

01:05:33progress where

01:05:34the fish might be

01:05:36present in the

01:05:37size and numbers

01:05:38that they once

01:05:38were here and

01:05:39from that i might

01:05:41get some insight

01:05:41into what part

01:05:42they played on

01:05:43that night

01:05:48but that's not

01:05:53going to be easy

01:05:54to outrun the

01:05:55huge reach of

01:05:56thousands of

01:05:57commercial fishing

01:05:58boats i have to

01:05:59literally go beyond

01:06:00the limits

01:06:01i'm told i must

01:06:02travel more than

01:06:03750 miles upstream

01:06:05to the mouth of a

01:06:07little known

01:06:08tributary called

01:06:09the padauiri

01:06:09which snakes its

01:06:12way north towards

01:06:12the border with

01:06:13venezuela

01:06:14this river's waters

01:06:17flow down past

01:06:18obidos but at

01:06:19this extreme

01:06:20distance they're

01:06:21rarely fished

01:06:22for me this will

01:06:24be completely

01:06:25uncharted territory

01:06:27i've examined all

01:06:35the other serious

01:06:36contenders and

01:06:37eliminated them one

01:06:38by one

01:06:39i'm staking

01:06:41everything on the

01:06:41chance that out

01:06:42here i'll find the

01:06:44heavyweight catfish

01:06:45i'm after

01:06:45and that i'll be

01:06:47able to prove it

01:06:48fits the profile of

01:06:49the super assassin

01:06:50that wiped out so

01:06:52many passengers

01:06:53so quickly

01:06:54on just one night

01:06:56i'll need to deploy

01:07:02tackle that can deal

01:07:03with their extraordinary

01:07:04pulling power

01:07:05that means a line

01:07:08with 150 pounds

01:07:09breaking strain

01:07:10tough fluorocarbon

01:07:12to cope with submerged

01:07:14trees and rocks

01:07:15and a steel leader

01:07:17that can withstand

01:07:18piranha teeth

01:07:19and to top it all

01:07:21a serious hook

01:07:23this is a pattern i've

01:07:24actually used for shark

01:07:25fishing in the past

01:07:26this is what's known as

01:07:28a circle hook

01:07:28that point

01:07:29actually points towards

01:07:31the shank

01:07:32it forms a rough circle

01:07:34you actually fish in a

01:07:35slightly different way

01:07:35you just engage the reel

01:07:37let the line tighten

01:07:39it's only when it

01:07:40reaches the lip

01:07:43you have proper contact

01:07:45so most of the fish

01:07:47are hooked very nicely

01:07:48in the lip

01:07:50where it's quite easy

01:07:51to get the hook out

01:07:52which is just as well

01:07:54when the creature i'm after

01:07:55stands accused

01:07:56of engulfing human limbs

01:07:59it's history repeating itself

01:08:23once again piranhas are stripping my bait

01:08:27but these bites feel unusually aggressive

01:08:30these piranhas have the feel

01:08:32of quite big piranhas

01:08:34a couple of times they've taken out

01:08:35a couple of foot of line

01:08:37i could move on

01:08:42but my instinct tells me

01:08:44i should get a closer look

01:08:45at one of these bait thieves

01:08:47my circle hook

01:08:50isn't going to catch them

01:08:52even a big piranha

01:08:54won't get that entirely in

01:08:57i'm going to change for a j hook

01:08:59and what that means is the next time

01:09:02they start bothering the bait

01:09:03i'm going to strike

01:09:04come on come on come on

01:09:16yep

01:09:17feels sizable

01:09:25i'm heading up a remote tributary

01:09:42of the amazon

01:09:42on the hunt for heavyweight catfish

01:09:45that i suspect had the pulling power

01:09:47to drag struggling survivors

01:09:49escaping from a boat disaster

01:09:51to the river's depths

01:09:53but my attempts are being thwarted

01:09:58by an aggressive predator

01:10:01hiding in the river's dark waters

01:10:03the strike feels like a piranha

01:10:14but ten times the size

01:10:16of the ones i've caught downstream

01:10:18right that's what's been eating my bait

01:10:27that's a really big black piranha

01:10:30just the size of that head

01:10:32the power of those jaws

01:10:35now a piranha this size

01:10:39could do some serious damage

01:10:40it dwarfs the red bellies

01:10:44i've caught before

01:10:45so could a swarm of these beasts

01:10:50be to blame

01:10:50luckily they're not normally

01:10:53found in the concentrations

01:10:55that you find the small

01:10:56red belly piranhas

01:10:57and the other thing is

01:10:58actually these are very rare

01:10:59in the main river

01:11:00so i'm pretty certain

01:11:02that it wasn't involved

01:11:03in the events of that night

01:11:05it's 17 long

01:11:09and then 19 inch girth

01:11:11and at more than six and a half pounds

01:11:14this is the largest piranha

01:11:16i've ever caught

01:11:18if my finger would be in the way there

01:11:26i'd be minus finger

01:11:27if piranhas this size

01:11:34are at the smaller end of the food chain here

01:11:36i'm seriously wondering

01:11:38what's at the other end of it

01:11:40i'll have to keep fishing

01:11:43to find out what tipped the balance of survival

01:11:46against the passengers of the sobral santos

01:11:49for days i follow the relentless coils

01:11:53of this serpentine river northwards

01:11:55towards the remote border with venezuela

01:11:58i might see the fish in a second

01:12:22finally a flash of fin at the surface

01:12:25shows i'm dead on target

01:12:27this is the pirarara

01:12:35more commonly known

01:12:37as the amazon redtail catfish

01:12:39its guarani name comes from

01:12:43the word for fish

01:12:44pir

01:12:45and the word for parrot

01:12:46arara

01:12:47because the fish's fins

01:12:49look like the plumage

01:12:50of the scarlet macaw

01:12:52out the water they grunt

01:12:54but also they make this squeaking noise

01:12:56it's a piece of bone

01:12:58clicking against another piece of bone

01:13:00and i can only imagine

01:13:02that that is actually

01:13:03for communication underwater

01:13:04normally these things live

01:13:06in pretty low vis conditions

01:13:09hence the feelers

01:13:10but this gives them another

01:13:11channel of communication

01:13:13to operate on

01:13:14next to its colour

01:13:16the redtail's most striking feature

01:13:18is its enormous head

01:13:19around a third of its total body length

01:13:22wide mouth

01:13:23very capacious mouth cavity

01:13:26lots of little teeth

01:13:28that form these sort of sandpapery pads

01:13:30so one here

01:13:31one on the lower jaw

01:13:33it's very good for gripping prey

01:13:36anything they get hold of

01:13:37as you can see my finger

01:13:39it's sort of rasped

01:13:40rasped my finger there

01:13:42but i still have too many unanswered questions

01:13:47to condemn the redtail just yet

01:13:50if these predators were involved

01:13:53exactly what role did they play

01:13:55i know they can grow to a size

01:13:59where they could easily engulf

01:14:01half a human leg

01:14:02and i felt more than enough power

01:14:04to pull someone under

01:14:07but how could these expert grippers

01:14:12account for all the mutilated bodies

01:14:14and so many passengers disappearing

01:14:16in the middle of the night

01:14:18up until now

01:14:24i haven't dared fish here after dark

01:14:27my location is so remote

01:14:29that if anything ever happened

01:14:30an emergency evacuation at night

01:14:33would be impossible

01:14:34but despite the risk of capsizing

01:14:36into water home to caimans

01:14:39and other nocturnal predators

01:14:40i have to find out

01:14:42something

01:14:44there's the proof that pirarara are active at night

01:15:05the fact that they've got those feelers

01:15:08means they can operate and feed

01:15:10with no trouble at all

01:15:13and quite a decent size as well

01:15:17this one is four pounds heavier than the last

01:15:21the case against this particular suspect is building

01:15:25but if redtails did pull passengers from the surface that night

01:15:29what is it about the way they operate

01:15:34that wiped out so many people

01:15:36so quickly

01:15:37so near the shore

01:15:39the only way to find out

01:15:41is to keep fishing

01:15:42to see if there's anything in their behavior

01:15:44that could reveal an answer to this mystery

01:15:47yep

01:15:54i haul in one redtail after another

01:15:57oh

01:15:59but in order to bring the fish in

01:16:02i have to take them on in an underwater battleground

01:16:07booby trapped with snags

01:16:09that's repeatedly destroying

01:16:12my gear

01:16:14it's just cut on some sharp bit of wood

01:16:19as the fish come in

01:16:26i'm building up a picture

01:16:28of what's going on under the water

01:16:30and it seems that they very much like

01:16:33proximity to snags

01:16:34well not just proximity

01:16:38they're like being right in these fallen trees

01:16:40i could feel it grating on a branch down there

01:16:45so that's basically cut on a branch

01:16:47but fishing these nightmarish snags

01:16:51has revealed the answer i'm after

01:16:53whenever a redtail takes the bait

01:16:56it makes a dash for cover

01:16:58right into the heart of the snags

01:17:00i've had a couple of runs

01:17:03which just as i've been getting ready to tighten

01:17:06it's stopped

01:17:08and it looks like a fish that's maybe picked up the bait and dropped it

01:17:12this says something about the catfish behavior which is grabbing food and then running off with it

01:17:20when i go to reel in i find it hasn't let go

01:17:23it's just gone to ground

01:17:25it's a bit like a dog running for its basket with a bone

01:17:28but in certain circumstances

01:17:30this behavior can have lethal consequences

01:17:33catfish clamped on something swimming

01:17:37if it is somebody's foot with toes on

01:17:40wiggling around and the fish grabs hold of it

01:17:43it's going to drag the whole thing with it

01:17:46the entire person is going to come with the catfish

01:17:50okay it might eventually let go

01:17:54but in that time that could make the difference between staying above the surface and drowning

01:17:59and once the victim's under the water

01:18:02the amazon's sharp-toothed predators and scavengers

01:18:07can move in to finish the job

01:18:10to be sure of my theory

01:18:16i need to bring up a beast that's clearly capable of engulfing a limb

01:18:21i have to attempt one more catch

01:18:25with what's left of my tackle

01:18:27i might be about to get more than i bargained for

01:18:44oh yeah

01:18:45it's a good-sized fish

01:18:48in a river full of monsters

01:19:00i think i'm closing in on the unlikely catalyst

01:19:03that turned a tragic shipwreck

01:19:06into an apocalyptic bloodbath

01:19:08oh yeah

01:19:09it's a good-sized fish

01:19:11let's keep well clear of the line

01:19:16the beast isn't a heavyweight redtail

01:19:22but a hundred pound plus piraiba

01:19:25this goes to show that these pristine waters aren't patrolled by just one type of giant predatory catfish

01:19:32but two

01:19:33and both were found at obidus

01:19:35but there's a problem

01:19:38the hook has been taken deep inside the mouth

01:19:41and i need to take it out

01:19:43i'm going to shove my hand in to get the hook out

01:19:47it's going to give me a bite

01:19:48it's bitten my arm

01:19:53but this extreme opportunity to feel the bite of a big catfish

01:19:58gives me the last piece of evidence i need

01:20:01piraiba are in the same family as redtails

01:20:05and they have virtually identical rasping pads in their mouths

01:20:09these give them a grip that prevents slippery struggling prey from escaping

01:20:13a grip far superior to human hands

01:20:27and a grip that i now know would have no problem holding struggling prey in the dark waters of obydos

01:20:33the night the boat went down

01:20:36thirty years ago at obydos

01:20:38they used to chum the water with remains from the fish processing plant

01:20:42i believe these exceptional conditions could have attracted the usually solitary piraiba

01:20:48in greater numbers than normal

01:20:50and they were far from alone

01:20:52there were also hordes of oversized redtails

01:20:56and these were fish used to grabbing morsels in the water

01:21:01a bloody foot or somebody's arm quite conceivable

01:21:07they'd grab them thinking it's an edible morsel

01:21:10and if you think how little it takes to make the difference between keeping your head above water

01:21:16and going under it's very little

01:21:17a fish the size of that or even half the size of that

01:21:22gets a good grip on part of you and decides to go

01:21:25you're not going to have much chance

01:21:31my gamble to pursue my quest to this remote tributary

01:21:40has paid off

01:21:41i now have little doubt that the amazon's heavyweight catfish

01:21:45played a pivotal role in the disaster

01:21:47and what they started was finished by their deadly accomplices

01:21:51back at obydos

01:21:53the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place

01:21:57so are we any closer to understanding what happened to those passengers who were unaccounted for at the time

01:22:03the ones who went below the surface and never reappeared

01:22:06and what was responsible for all the body parts floating in the river the next day

01:22:12no single element causes a disaster of this scale

01:22:16this catastrophe arose from an extraordinary convergence of conditions and participants

01:22:22on one horrific night

01:22:24the mix might have included a few rare giants that could have easily torn victims limb from limb

01:22:29and certainly a multitude of creatures at the other end of the size scale capable of mass carnage

01:22:36there is no doubt that there were very large numbers of small carnivores

01:22:41flesh eaters drawn in by the thousands by the scent of bleeding passengers

01:22:47and primed to tear into and dismember the bodies of both living and dead

01:22:55and come daylight scavenging piranhas would have moved in to clean up what was left

01:23:01from what i've seen

01:23:03i think the devastation of this feeding frenzy

01:23:05was only made possible because something first pulled the victims under

01:23:09large red tails

01:23:11aided and abetted

01:23:13by piraiba

01:23:15both have the grip

01:23:17the power

01:23:19and the instinct

01:23:21the instinct to bolt

01:23:23and thirty years ago the pitch black waters of obidos were alive with them

01:23:28perhaps supersized on fish waste dumped in the river right here

01:23:33where the sobral santos went down

01:23:36it was the perfect storm that delivered weakened prey to hordes of hungry flesh eaters

01:23:43and if thirty years ago you were in a boat traveling up the amazon

01:23:47home to some of the world's most notorious river monsters

01:23:50the last place you would want it to sink

01:23:53would be here

01:23:57to watch more video of the most terrifying monsters

01:24:01and see behind the scenes

01:24:03go to animalplanet.com slash river monsters

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