A beachgoer has enraged her local community and brought out plenty of armchair experts after joking about being attacked by a blood-thirsty carnivorous fish at one of Australia’s most popular tourist spots.
Lila Volker-Lin took to the Byron Bay Community Board Facebook group on Friday to post a photo of a cut of her hand, claiming she’d been ravaged by a pack of piranhas while swimming at Suffolk dog beach around 10pm last Tuesday.
‘On Tuesday night when it’d been raining my friend and I went for a late night dip around 10pm just out the front of the Jarman St entrance and as soon as our bodies were submerged we were attacked by little creatures that bit us everywhere,’ she warned.
‘It was too dark to see their true form but we can only assume they were piranhas. Perhaps the rain or strong current washed them in? Attached is a photo of one of the cuts/bites.’
Ms Volker-Lin then warned the community group, which has more than 55,000 members, to ‘be careful’.
Lila Volker-Lin riled up the Byron Bay community over her piranha warning
A tourist has riled up a community at one of Australia’s most popular destinations after claiming she and a friend were attacked by piranhas while swimming at a saltwater beach (pictured, stock)
The post quickly garnered hundreds of comments, with a number of armchair experts taking the time to explain to Ms Volker-Lin why there was no way the attack could’ve been done by a piranha, a fish that is native to South America.
However, the post wasn’t as it seemed, with Ms Volker-Lin revealing in a tongue-in-cheek comment to Daily Mail Australia that she had ‘never touched the drug “methamphetamine.”‘
Ms Volker-Lin has been part of the Facebook group since 2019 and regularly posts about community fundraisers and lost property over the years.
However, none of her posts reached the level of exposure her piranha warning garnered.
‘You are not seriously thinking you were attacked by piranhas in Byron?’ one user wrote, who was clearly not in on the joke.
‘If you think a freshwater fish like [a piranha] is actually living the Australia, please do not visit the NT because there are actually things up there scarier than Native American fish,’ a second wrote.
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‘For the love of god, nothing will save Byron now. Thank god I left,’ a third, exasperated former local added.
Lila Volker-Lim posted a photo (pictured) to the Facebook group, Byron Bay Community Board, of a scratch on her wrist that she joked was from piranhas Suffolk Dog Beach
However plenty were in on the joke, laughing along with Ms Volker-Lin.
‘Yes we have piranhas lots of them. Please tell all the people to stop coming here and avoid the beaches as they love tourists,’ one user joked.
‘It’s common knowledge, in these parts, that piranha emerge from the depths of the sea, at night. You’re lucky to be alive,’ another user joked.
‘100 per cent that’s the Loch Ness monster’s trademark bite. Incredibly lucky to survive,’ a third wrote.
‘They look like scratch marks from the koalas that often swim there on warm nights. Normally they only use their nails for clawing up eucalyptus trees but may have thought you were a passing log. Your wounds will heal in time,’ a fourth joked.
Piranhas, native to South American waterways, are a species of freshwater fish that can either be carnivorous, omnivorous or even vegetarian.
However, the most infamous piranha, the red-bellied piranha, is a ruthless carnivore that hunts in packs and is known for leaving behind half-eaten carcasses after a feeding frenzy.
Other members of the Facebook group commented on the ridiculousness of freshwater piranhas, native to South America, at Suffolk Dog Beach (pictured)
However, contrary to popular belief, red-bellied piranhas rarely target animals that are still living and much prefer to go after the already-deceased.
The few occasions of red-bellied piranhas attacking humans usually occur during the dry season in South American rainforests when food sources start to dwindle.
Even then, the accounts are usually just tiny bites on the hand or foot and while there have only ever been a few recorded deaths at the hands of piranhas in history.
