A city in China drained an entire lake to catch “monster fish” with razor-sharp teeth while millions of people watched.
Authorities in Ruzhou City, Henan Province, Central China hunting for a ” monster fish ” had to drain a large lake in a city park after attempts to catch the creature failed. .
This fish is believed to be an invasive species from North America, known as the alligator gar. Officials in Nhu Chau have tried many different ways to catch the fish since the middle of last month, before deciding to drain the lake of more than 200,000 cubic meters earlier this week.
Often referred to as a “living fossil”, the crocodile gar living in the lake is said to be about 80cm long and was discovered by a resident in mid-July, attracting public interest after video of the fish This appeared online.
Although attacks on humans are rare, the torpedo-shaped fish can grow up to 3 meters long and are considered a threat to local residents and ecosystems by authorities.
After the lake was drained on August 25, there was still no trace of the fish. It was believed to have entered a 100-meter-long pipe leading into the lake.
Qi Li – the official in charge of park maintenance – told local news app Zhengguan News that authorities were still planning to catch the monster without going straight into the pipeline due to complicated conditions. inside, including silt, stagnant water and foul air.
“Initially, we used large fishing nets to try to catch it, and then we invited professional hunters to search for it with sonar, but the crocodile gar may have been hiding behind when you panic,” Qi Li said, adding that draining the lake is the last resort.
“We have fully considered the possible impact of lowering water levels on the ecosystem,” he said.
Draining the lake is controversial because of its high cost, with some questioning the value of finding a single fish.
However, most people were fascinated by the unusual hunt – an event that attracted media and curious livestreamers to see the empty lake and the “monster fish”.
Millions of netizens followed the hunt in the hope of seeing “extremely dangerous strange fish from America”.
Crocodiles have appeared in China before, but never attracted this much attention.
This fish species is suspected of entering China through the exotic pet trade and is listed as one of the 10 major invasive aquatic creatures by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
