River Monsters

I'M JEREMY WADE....

FISH ON!

BIOLOGIST AND UNDERWATER DETECTIVE.

HER BODY WAS EVENTUALLY FOUND.

THE ATTACKER'S IDENTITY UNKNOWN.

IN SEAS AND RIVERS AROUND THE WORLD,

I'VE GOTTEN HANDS-ON...

AAH!

WITH SOME OF THE PLANET'S MOST NIGHTMARISH CREATURES...

BEASTS THAT HAVE OFTEN BEEN BLAMED FOR MYSTERIOUS DEATHS.

BUT THIS TIME, IT'S DIFFERENT.

IN A FOREST AS OLD AS THE DINOSAURS,

I'M ON A MISSION TO HUNT DOWN A MONSTER FROM MY PAST

IN A PLACE I'VE NEVER BEEN.

MY TARGET IS A FRESHWATER GIANT WITH A GRUESOME RAP SHEET.

THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS INJURY.

AND I'M NOT LETTING UP TILL I'VE SETTLED AN OLD SCORE.

IT'S FISH, IT'S FISH.

AND IT BROUGHT A COW.... YEAH.

IT BROUGHT A COW INTO THE WATER.

HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

FROM A REMOTE LAKE IN MALAYSIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA,

COMES A DISTURBING REPORT OF A DOUBLE TRAGEDY.

THE SUN IS OUT AND THE WATER IS CALM,

BUT SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

WHEN THE EMPTY BOAT IS EVENTUALLY SPOTTED,

NO ONE CAN FIND ANY SIGN OF ITS MISSING OWNER.

A DIVE TEAM IS CALLED IN,

FULLY EQUIPPED TO SCOUR THE DEPTHS.

WITHIN HOURS, THOUGH,

ONE OF THE SEARCH PARTY HAS ALSO VANISHED.

IT TAKES ANOTHER DAY TO LOCATE BOTH VICTIMS.

IN EACH CASE,

THE SIMPLE EXPLANATION IS ACCIDENTAL DROWNING.

BUT THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET INTERESTING.

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, PEOPLE START BLAMING

THE TWO DEATHS ON A CREATURE THAT LIVES IN THE LAKE.

PREVIOUS STRANGE SIGHTINGS OF SOMETHING

THAT PRODUCES BUBBLES AT THE SURFACE

SUGGEST TO SOME AT LEAST THAT WHAT HAPPENED WAS NO ACCIDENT.

EVEN MORE SURPRISING, THOUGH,

IS THE PROPOSED IDENTITY OF THE KILLER.

ARAPAIMA ARE NOT NATIVE TO MALAYSIA.

THEY'RE A PREDATORY FISH FROM SOUTH AMERICA.

YET ACCORDING TO THIS REPORT,

ONE OF THEM COULD HAVE ENDED UP IN THE LAKE

AFTER IT WAS RELEASED

AS AN UNWANTED PET MANY YEARS AGO.

THE IDEA OF A DEADLY ARAPAIMA IS CERTAINLY INTRIGUING.

I KNOW FROM PAINFUL EXPERIENCE THAT THIS FISH

CAN BLAST OUT OF THE WATER LIKE A MISSILE.

AH!

A BIG ONE COULD POTENTIALLY KNOCK A MAN OUT OF A BOAT

OR RAM A DIVER.

ON THE OTHER HAND, DESCRIPTIONS OF

THE SUPPOSED ARAPAIMA ARE PRETTY SKETCHY,

RANGING FROM DARK BROWN TO SILVER IN COLOR,

AND ANYTHING FROM 4 FEET TO 15 FEET IN LENGTH.

THEN THERE'S THIS INTERNET PHOTO

CLAIMING TO SHOW THE CAPTURED BEAST.

SITTING HERE THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY,

IT'S HARD TO TO JUDGE IT, BUT I HAVE TO SAY I'M SKEPTICAL.

SO IS THAT REALLY A ROGUE ARAPAIMA ON THE LOOSE?

AND IF SO, DID IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE TWO DEATHS?

I THINK THERE COULD BE MORE TO THIS MYSTERY THAN MEETS THE EYE,

SO I'M HEADING TO THE SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY.

CREATED SOME 30 YEARS AGO TO PROVIDE HYDROPOWER,

MALAYSIA'S LAKE KENYIR IS SAID TO BE DEEPER THAN LOCH NESS.

ENTOMBED WITHIN IT ARE THE REMAINS OF 13 FLOODED VILLAGES.

I OFTEN GET VITAL CLUES FROM VILLAGERS,

BUT OUT HERE,

THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE A LIVING SOUL.

ONE REALLY ODD THING ABOUT THIS LAKE

IS JUST HOW FEW PEOPLE THERE ARE.

APART FROM A FEW SCATTERED TOURIST ATTRACTIONS,

IT'S PRETTY WELL DESERTED,

AND EVEN THESE MODERN RESORTS LOOK AS IF

THEY'VE ALMOST BEEN LEFT TO THE JUNGLE.

IT'S REALLY -- IT'S REALLY QUITE SPOOKY.

IN THEIR NATIVE AMAZON,

ARAPAIMAS STICK TO SHALLOW LAKES AND SLOW-MOVING RIVERS,

SO MY IMMEDIATE INSTINCT IS TO CHECK OUT THE QUIET BACKWATERS.

JUST LIKE THE DAY WHEN THE MEN WENT MISSING,

THE LAKE IS DEAD CALM.

I'M ITCHING TO INTERROGATE IT THE WAY I KNOW BEST.

ARAPAIMA GIVE THEMSELVES AWAY WHEN THEY SURFACE TO GULP AIR.

BUT FOR SEVERAL HOURS, THERE ISN'T SO MUCH AS A RIPPLE.

HAVE I PERHAPS BITTEN OFF MORE THAN I CAN CHEW?

WITH HUNDREDS OF ISLANDS AND HIDDEN COVES,

KENYIR IS MORE LABYRINTH THAN LAKE.

SEARCHING IT THOROUGHLY COULD TAKE A LIFETIME,

BUT MY BOAT DRIVER, ARMAN,

RECKONS HE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A LEAD.

KHAIRUL ABU BAKAR IS A WILDLIFE GUIDE

WHO SPENT 10 YEARS RECORDING EVERYTHING

THAT LIVES IN AND AROUND THE LAKE.

WOW.

TIGER! TIGER.

ARE THERE MANY TIGERS HERE?

UH, I THINK SO,

BECAUSE WE FOUND LOT OF FOOTPRINTS.

TO ME, I MEAN, THIS -- WHO ARE THEY?

THEY LIVE IN THE FOREST?

THEY DON'T LIVE IN THE TOWNS AND THE VILLAGES?

NO, STAY IN THE FOREST,

BUT THEY MIGRATE FROM THE ONE PLACE

TO ONE PLACE LOOKING FOR FOOD.

Wade: I'M INTRIGUED BY THESE BATEK,

BUT IT'S A BIG FISH I NEED TO FOCUS ON.

I'M WONDERING ABOUT WHAT'S UNDER THE WATER.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN ARAPAIMA?

I HEARD RUMORS ABOUT ARAPAIMA A FEW YEARS AGO,

BUT I NEVER SEEN IT.

SO ALL THE TIME YOU SPENT IN THE WATER, YOU'VE NEVER --

YEAH, JUST HEARD THE STORY, BUT I NEVER SEEN IT.

Wade: WHAT KHAIRUL TELLS ME NEXT, HOWEVER,

COMPLETELY BLOWS OPEN MY INVESTIGATION.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, WE GO TO PICNIC.

WE SAW A GROUP OF COWS GO TO THE EDGE OF THE WATER

AND GET SOME DRINK, AND SUDDENLY,

SOMETHING BIG LIKE A CROCODILE

COME UP FROM THE WATER AND CATCH THE BABY COW

AND PULL IT INTO THE WATER.

BUT IT'S NOT CROCODILE.

YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CROCODILE? NO CROCODILE.

NO CROCODILES HERE? NO CROCODILE.

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME IT'S A FISH.

IT'S FISH, IT'S FISH.

AND IT PULLED A COW -- IT'S BIG FISH.

IT PULLED A COW INTO THE WATER?

MM-HMM. YOUR WHOLE FAMILY SAW IT?

YEAH.

DO THEY HAVE -- DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT WAS?

UH, WE CALL IT A TAPAH.

TAPAH? TAPAH.

IT'S VERY BIG FISH.

Wade: THE TAPAH IS THE ONLY FISH THAT'S EVERY BEATEN ME.

IN INDIA, WHERE HUMAN LIMBS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ITS STOMACH,

IT'S KNOWN AS THE SARENG.

MANY HINDUS REGARD IT AS SACRED AND SAY YOU MUST LEAVE IT ALONE.

IT'S STILL THERE, I CAN FEEL IT.

IT'S OFF, IT'S OFF, IT'S OFF.

PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED.

THE MORE I TRIED TO CATCH IT, THE MORE I SEEMED TO BE CURSED.

OH!

RIGHT TO THE BITTER END, I WAS LEFT EMPTY-HANDED.

THAT COULD BE THE NET RESULT OF MY RETURN TO INDIA --

A BROKEN LINE.

CAPABLE OF GROWING AS LONG AS A MAN,

THE TAPAH IS MALAYSIA'S BIGGEST FRESHWATER FISH.

UNUSUALLY FOR A CATFISH, IT'S KNOWN TO GULP AIR,

AND DESPITE ITS SIZE, IT'S SURPRISINGLY AGILE.

AFTER KHAIRUL'S STORY,

I'M WONDERING IF THE TAPAH COULD BE THE CULPRIT.

LIKE THE ARAPAIMA, THE TAPAH IS CARNIVOROUS,

AND IT TOO CAN LAUNCH ITSELF OUT OF THE WATER.

BUT WHICH, IF EITHER, OF THESE TWO PREDATORS,

ARAPAIMA OR TAPAH, IS ACTUALLY STALKING THIS LAKE?

SOMETHING ON HERE.

Wade: A DOUBLE TRAGEDY ON MALAYSIA'S LAKE KENYIR

HAS STIRRED UP SPECULATION ABOUT A GIANT FISH,

AND I'M ON THE TRAIL OF TWO POSSIBLE CULPRITS.

RUMOR HAS IT THAT A SOUTH AMERICAN FISH

CALLED AN ARAPAIMA IS ON THE LOOSE

ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE WORLD.

BUT MAYBE THE MYSTERIOUS LAKE MONSTER IS A NATIVE TAPAH,

THE ONLY FISH THAT'S EVER DEFEATED ME.

SOMETHING ON HERE.

I'M JUST GOING TO SWING IT IN THE BOAT.

I'VE HOOKED A THIRD PREDATOR FOR MY LIST.

QUITE A FEISTY THING.

WHAT IT LACKS IN SIZE,

A SNAKEHEAD MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR WITH AGGRESSION.

THOSE TEETH ARE -- THEY'RE LIKE DAGGERS, REALLY.

THEY ARE CAPABLE OF ACTUALLY SAWING PIECES OF FLESH

OUT OF ANOTHER FISH.

IT'S A BIT LIKE THE TEETH ON A SAW BLADE.

IF THEY SHAKE THE HEAD SIDE TO SIDE LIKE THAT,

THEY CAN ACTUALLY RIP A PIECE OF FLESH OUT.

VERY AGGRESSIVE WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING THEIR YOUNG.

THEY'VE EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO GO FOR PEOPLE.

BUT DESPITE ITS ATTITUDE,

THIS FISH IS NOT ONE OF MY SUSPECTS.

ALTHOUGH IT'S CALLED THE GIANT SNAKEHEAD,

THESE GROW TO A MAXIMUM SIZE

OF ABOUT 40 POUNDS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

AND, AT THAT SIZE, THERE'S NO WAY THAT A SNAKEHEAD

COULD JUMP OUT OF THE WATER AND PULL SOMEBODY FROM THE BOAT.

IT'S ENCOURAGING TO HAVE CAUGHT SOMETHING,

BUT I'M NO CLOSER TO FINDING THE ALLEGED LAKE MONSTER.

ANY KIND OF LEAD WOULD BE WELCOME.

I'M HOPING THAT WHOEVER LIVES IN THIS FLOATING HOUSEBOAT

MIGHT HAVE SOME INFORMATION.

THE OWNER IS A FISHERMAN NAMED MOKSAN,

WHO TELLS ME HE'S LIVED HERE SINCE THE LAKE WAS CREATED.

DID YOU EVER SEE ANYTHING STRANGE IN THE WATER?

PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE'S ARAPAIMA HERE.

YOU EVER SEEN ARAPAIMA?

Wade: LIKE KHAIRUL,