Millions of netizens watched the "strange fish" being caught, and many responded

Recently, Ruzhou City, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province

Drain the lake to catch the "strange fish in the water"

Arousing attention

Related live screen display

Over 30 million netizens watched online

Official: Confirmed to be Alligator Gar

Invasive alien species

On the afternoon of August 23, the reporter contacted a staff member of the Ruzhou Municipal Government. The other party said that the "strange fish in the lake" was definitely an alligator gar. As for why the lake water was drained to catch it, the staff member said that it was mainly because they were afraid that the alligator gar would hurt people.

The latest live broadcast footage shows that the lake has been drained, professional personnel are carrying out on-site operations, and many netizens are offering suggestions in the comment section.

Other experts suggested that it would be better to use fishing and netting methods instead, which would be more effective and less costly.

Experts: Suspected to be an abandoned pet

According to Li Changkan, professor of biology and director of Zhengzhou Natural History Museum, there are no alligator gar native to China and alligator gar were introduced from America as ornamental fish. The "big monster" in the lake is most likely a "stray pet."

Because alligator gar eat a lot and grow fast, it won't take long for them to grow to more than one meter tall. Some owners feel they can't afford to keep them and choose to release them into the wild, which is actually abandonment.

According to staff at the Pingdingshan Oceanarium, "This fish has rough skin and thick meat, and has few natural enemies in the wild. It is at the top of the food chain and has a large appetite, eating 5% of its own weight every day."

The diet of alligator gar is also very wide, including various fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small and medium-sized mammals and carrion. Therefore, it has certain harm to the ecological environment.

Among the major alien species that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs called for a ban on releasing or abandoning in 2020, one of them is the mountain eel.

Police response: If it involves illegal

Will be handed over to the police

Ruzhou police staff responded to the media and said that relevant departments are investigating and if any violations of the law are involved, they will be handed over to the public security organs for handling.

Legal trading

Scientific feeding

Stop willful release of animals

Source: People's Daily, China Youth Daily, The Paper, Jiupai News, Metropolitan Report, Dahe Daily, Guangming Daily

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