Over the years, abandoned malls have become a genre of ruin porn in itself. The deserted New World shopping mall in Bangkok, however, stands out from the rest, simply because of the thousands of fish that have miraculously taken shelter in its flooded grounds. The story goes that a decade ago, after the illegally-built structure was shuttered and partially demolished, some locals purposely introduced the fish into the roofless building as a form of mosquito control. And as the Internet discovered more recently, it's become a surreal and incredible sight to behold. That is, until now. CityLab reports that local authorities have finally begun removing the some 3,000 carp, tilapia, and catfish from the crumbling building.
Using fishing nets and plastic tubs, workers are rounding up the fish one by one. From there, the fish will go to Thailand's Department of Fisheries labs before getting released into various bodies of water around the country. The government seems determined to shut the spectacle down once and for all. The building's flooded water will be drained, and officials are also demanding about $306K in demolition costs from the property owners.
Head over to CityLab for photos of the removal process.
· Removing Fish From a Surreal Abandoned Shopping Mall [CityLab]
· Explore 25 of the Year's Most Atmospheric Abandoned Buildings [Curbed National]
· All Abandonment Issues posts [Curbed National]