I have seen Catfish that weighed up to eight kilos, huge monsters with long whiskers, and have even caught quite a few, but then that was in Lake Abaya and Lake Chamo in Arbaminch Ethiopia, moreover, I never saw any two of them attacking each other. The Catfish I have been seeing at the Basai Wetland, however, seem to be the smaller but more aggressing versions of the Ethiopian cousins! Though smaller in size, the Magur Catfish that have been imported from Africa seem to be tougher than the Indian fish. Their ability to breathe on land, crawl on land, survive dry seasons and flourish in toxic and contaminated water sets them apart from the indigenous species.
Just today, when I visited the Basai Wetland, It was to witness an absolutely astounding, nay, stunning sight of thousands of the banned Magur Catfish leaping around each other in a frenzy in the water. They seemed to be fighting each other, wrestling, attacking each other like two different mobs attacking each other. A veritable rout it was a melee that confounded rationality. Yes, there were quite a few carcasses of the catfish in the vicinity, but then today, the fish did not seem to be attacking the carcasses.
The saving grace, however, is that these African Magur Catfish provide a most filling breakfast for the larger birds like the painted storks, Black Kites and Herons. While the local endemic species of fish like the snakehead fish 'saul', (that used to be found in abundance in the Basai Wetland a few years ago) the silverfish, the 'Patra' fish have disappeared, so too have other aquatic species like the freshwater turtles that I have seen a few years back seem to be absent. It doesn't require much insight to realise how these catfish might not only attack larger fish but also devour small fry and eggs of other species.
The availability of a large number of Catfish in the waters of the Basai Wetlands has also acted as a magnet for a large number of Black Kites in the area. The presence of these highly aggressive birds, hunters of the best kind might also affect the migratory flight patterns of birds coming all the way from Siberia and other central Asian countries. It would not be surprising to see fewer and fewer migratory birds coming to the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary because of the presence of these kites. The unfortunate fact is that the African Magur Catfish were deliberately introduced into the waters of the Basai Wetland by people who wanted to make a quick profit by catching these fish and selling them in the markets close by. Unfortunately, the water of the Basai Wetland has been contaminated by sewage from a sewer canal passing by (he open sewage canal overflows in the rainy season spilling into the adjacent wetland). It is clear, therefore, that the consumption of these fish by unsuspecting people might cause them to fall ill. The Gurgaon administration needs to take proper steps to address these issues before something serious happens. While other states have banned the commercial farming of the African Magur Catfish (because of the threat they pose to endemic species) and their sale in the markets, some people seem to be doing a lucrative business selling large numbers of the fish grown in the Basai Wetland.
