NO-SWIM ZONE: Becks warned about genital-attacking fish in Brazil

BY Confidential

No-swim zone: Headed to Amazon, David Beckham is warned about the candiru, a fish said to attack via the genitals

BBC documentary team told swimming in the river can lead to excruciating pain and even death

MARIANNE GARVEY, BRIAN NIEMIETZ AND LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT

Monday, March 24, 2014, 2:00 AM

Larry Marano/Getty Images Soccer legend David Beckham, who shot a documentary recently in the Amazon rainforest.

Bite him like Beckham.
David Beckham was warned off swimming in the Amazon during the recent shooting of a documentary — for fear of a deadly fish swimming into his genitalia, sources tell Confidenti@l.
The 38-year-old Becks, famously nicknamed “Goldenballs,” was told by the production’s medical supervisors not to go for a dip during filming in the Brazilian rainforest because of the so-called “vampire fish.”
The fish, called the candiru, is said to enter people through their urethras and eat their way through their private parts.
And the candiru — small, virtually transparent and nearly impossible to see even in clear water — reportedly targets people’s bottoms, too.
“Talent and crew were given full-length medical and terrain awareness courses before the journey. It was a key part of their process and necessary to get insurances before their trip under BBC guidelines,” a source told Confidenti@l.
“One of the most dangerous creatures in the world lives in the Amazon River, and for men it is both deadly and painful,” the source continued
Once in the urethra, reports say, the fish feeds on blood while extending barbs that embed themselves into the surrounding tissue, causing unparalleled pain.

BBC Worldwide via YouTube The small but much-feared candiru.

Many victims reportedly die from shock. The only treatment is said to be potentially fatal surgery.
Beckham joined friends Dave Gardner and Derek White and filmmaker Anthony Mandler for the 90-minute film, which will air on the BBC in June to mark the start of the World Cup in Brazil.
“All the cast were warned not to go into the water, especially because of the vampire fish. It can get under clothing and then swim into the genitalia, which would mean immediate hospitalization,” the source added.
Government officials urge visitors not to go swimming in the Amazon region, which will be a hot spot for soccer fans heading to Brazil this summer.
Brazilian media have reported that men have died after candiru attacks while others have had their penises surgically removed. BBC One Controller Charlotte Moore said: “In this special documentary for BBC One, David Beckham embarks on a top-secret expedition to the Amazon that will see him encounter the other side of Brazil and journey through the tropical rainforest, a TV first for the global icon.”
A rep for Beckham didn't get back to us.
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