Frightening close lose look at piranha in Amazon lake

The Amazon basin is one of the most amazing places on earth. Stretching over a big part of South America, the Amazon holds more plant life and animal life than any other place on earth. It is rich in diversity and in uniqueness, and anyone who travels to any part of the Amazon is sure to encounter wildlife like nothing they have ever seen.

Sacha Lodge is located off the Nap River in Ecuador. An enormous river, it is home to many people and many creatures. One of these creatures is the piranha, a fish that we have all learned to fear since we first saw them in movies. Famous for attacking in great numbers and tearing the flesh off a creature in minutes, these fish strike fear in the hearts of many. Yet, they are not nearly as dangerous as we have been led to believe. In fact, there have been very few reported deaths of humans from these fish.

Walter, a Kichwa tour guide, gave his Canadian guests a very informative and fascinating nature lesson when he and Anna took them in a canoe through the lake and canals at Sacha Lodge. He taught them how to fish for piranha and then he caught a large one to give them an extremely close look. Carefully exposing the menacing looking teeth, he explained that these fish will rarely bite a healthy person. Shy and reclusive, they are actually reluctant to approach most animals unless they are completely starving. But the view that Walter provided of the teeth left his guests with an unforgettable image in their minds. They were shocked to see the size and sharpness of the teeth.

People can swim in the lake at Sacha lodge, but for the reassurance of the nervous guests, there is an enclosed "pool" that has a mesh fence all around to keep the large piranha out. The guides at Sacha Lodge took the guests on different adventures every morning, afternoon, and evening. They learned about howler monkeys, kapoc trees, leafcutter ants, snakes, soldier wasps, tarantulas, and even 16 foot long black caimans (alligator family) that venture out into the water to hunt at night.

Walter has spent his life in the Amazon, living in a Kichwa village along the river. It was a privilege to be taught by such a knowledgeable guide and his guests were very grateful for the experiences he gave them.