Adrila Muniz, the 6-year-old girl devoured by piranhas

Adrila Muniz was only 6 years old when, on 27 January 2015, she was devoured by piranhas. This is her story.

Adrila Muniz

Shortly before her death Adrila was with her mother, her grandparents and 4 younger siblings. Her grandparents had decided to take the children on a canoe trip on the Maicuru river, near the town of Monte Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Pará.

During the trip, however, a storm broke out and the water grew rougher and rougher, until it capsized the canoe. Her mother and grandmother managed to save 4 of the 5 children on board, but the current carried Adrila away.

As soon as they got back to the bank, the grandparents and the girl’s mother raised the alarm. Shortly afterwards little Adrila’s body was recovered, already lifeless. The piranhas that infest the river had stripped the flesh from both her legs, leaving only bone. According to local police, the girl had most likely already drowned when the piranhas reached her.

She was nevertheless taken to hospital, where she was declared dead. She was then returned to her family for burial.

Piranha attacks

This is not the first modern piranha attack on a human being. In 2012 another little girl had been killed by a shoal of piranhas, eaten alive. Aline Nery de Araújo, 5, was devoured by red-bellied piranhas after falling into the water in the municipality of Canaboca, in Brazil.

On 25 December 2013, an unusual piranha attack was recorded in Argentina. In the city of Rosario, on the banks of the Paraná river, at least 70 people were injured by piranhas. Experts said the attack was due to a strong heatwave and some bait left in the water by fishermen.

In 2011 an 18-year-old died, devoured by piranhas, after throwing himself drunk into a river in the town of Rosario del Yata, in Bolivia.

Why are we afraid of piranhas?

Piranha attacks are not very common; in fact experts say these animals rarely attack humans. So why are we so afraid of them?

First of all because of the atrocious death we would face if a shoal of piranhas attacked us. Death would come from blood loss caused by the thousand cuts of the piranhas’ teeth.

But former US president Theodore Roosevelt also played his part. In 1913 Roosevelt travelled to Brazil, where he witnessed a terrifying piranha attack. He saw with his own eyes a cow being entirely devoured by the carnivorous fish.

In reality the whole thing had been staged by local fishermen to impress him. They had closed off part of the river to trap some piranhas and left them without food for several days. Once Roosevelt arrived, they pushed a cow into the river and the piranhas pounced on it instantly, leaving only the skeleton.

If you ever go to South America on holiday, think twice before swimming in a river.

Sources

• Newser, 6-Year-Old ‘Devoured’ by Piranhas (2015)
• The Week, Girl ‘eaten by piranhas’, how common are piranha attacks?
• Blitz Quotidiano, Brasile, Adrila Muniz muore a 6 anni sbranata dai piranha (Italian)