Jelly blubbers return to southern Thailand river after 3 years

Jelly blubbers, a kind of jellyfish, have returned to a river in Songkhla province in southern Thailand after disappearing for more than three years.

Aerial photos reveal jelly blubbers (Catostylus mosaicus) in their masses floating in the Khlong Bang Rieng River in Bang Riang subdistrict, Khuan Niang district, which locals say is a rare natural phenomenon.

Normally, jelly blubbers reside in the sea, not freshwater. The reason they can survive is that seawater from the Gulf of Thailand enters the river on occasion.

The jellyfish started flooding into the river about a week ago after not showing up for three years. In the years the phenomenon happens, it usually occurs in April, but can vary by one or two months.

The Fa Sang team, a social activism group, collaborated with local business owners and volunteers from the public sector to organise the activity,…