Man defends viral piranha video after viewers brand it fake, claiming the attack severed part of his finger.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2026, 12:57:03 IST

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A man shared a video claiming that it shows him getting attacked by piranhas. Though fascinated, many argued that the video was fake. Amid rising claims about the visual's authenticity, the man has said it shows a real incident that left him with a finger injury.

Leandro Aponte shared a video on August 25 on Facebook with a caption in Spanish. When translated, it read, “How could I forget the time piranhas almost took my finger off in Bellavista? ‘That’s the trauma I was left with."

(Hindustantimes.com has reached out to Leandro Aponte. This report will be updated when he responds.)

The video shows a horrifying scene of a man trying to remove fish stuck on his body while standing in a water body.

(Disclaimer: The video contains scenes that some may find disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

The video soon went viral, prompting various comments on Facebook. An individual expressed scepticism and questioned the video. “More false video, those piranhas don't even move, they were missing glue so they wouldn't fall off.” Aponte responded, “They took a piece of my finger.” Another joined, “I don't know, Rick. To me, those piranhas are acting.”

A third expressed, “Hahaha, they don't get stuck… they take out meat, and you don't even realise when they gave you the bite.” A fourth wrote, “

I hadn't seen that fishing style before. Even though I know it's fake, it's funny — fake because, strangely enough, when the little fish bite, they don't leave a single mark.”

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Hindustantimes.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)

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