Shrimp are pretty amazing. They make a sound louder than a gunshot when they snap their claws. They can sidle up to a starfish, sever one of its limbs and then eat it in front of them without ever blinking.
Then there are the gung foi of Ubon Ratchathani. Once the sun goes down this time of year, they risk it all to go on the march for a nice place to spawn. Now through the end of September, see tens of thousands of shrimp emerge from the ferocious waters of the Kaeng Lamduan Waterfall and begin a long trek to calmer waters where they can celebrate by getting their spawn on.
Pesticides and other chemicals are harming the little guys however; officials have asked the community to take it easy on the biocides or risk losing the annual phenomenon forever.
If you find yourself up that way, head to the Ubon Ratchathani Wildlife and Nature Education Center in Ubon’s Nam Yuen district. The number of parading shrimp depends on how how much rain and runoff are affecting conditions. More rain means more shrimps soldiering along the route.
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