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An 8-year-old boy was fishing with his father at a lake in Pennsylvania when he caught a piranha
“We’ve had some crazy fishing experiences, but that’s definitely number one,” said Michael Coffey, father of Seamus, who caught the fish
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said the fish is likely a former pet that was released into the wild, which is both illegal and harmful to the animal
Seamus Coffey, an 8-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, was out fishing with his father, Michael Coffey, on Saturday, Aug. 8, when he felt something big tugging on his fishing line, per ABC News. The boy told the outlet he thought he was reeling in a bass from Ridley Park Lake.
“I was like, ‘Slow down dude, you might lose it.’ This looks like something we haven’t caught before,” Michael told ABC. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is a bluegill, I don’t know what this is.’ And he said, ‘It’s a piranha!'”
And indeed it was. Michael later shared photos of his son’s shocking catch on Facebook, the piranha identifiable by its sharp, barbed teeth and bright orange belly. In one snap, Seamus proudly holds up his incredibly rare find.
The piranha caught by 8-year-old Seamus Coffey in Ridley Park Lake in Pennsylvania.
Credit: Mike Coffey
“At this point you can’t put anything past Seamus,” Michael wrote in the post. “Today he caught a 2lb red belly piranha out of the Ridley Park Lake! Of all things.”
When ABC asked Seamus how he was certain that the massive fish he caught was a piranha, the boy said: “Because I watch YouTube!”
“We’ve had some crazy fishing experiences, but that’s definitely number one,” Michael added.
Seamus Coffey and the piranha he caught at Ridley Park Lake in Pennsylvania.
Credit: Mike Coffey
Later, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) examined the fish and confirmed that it was a piranha. PFBC spokesperson Mike Parker told ABC that the piranha, which is native to regions in South America, was almost certainly someone’s pet that was released into the wild — which is both illegal and harmful to the animal.
“I think a lot of times people do, you know, they have a dream: I want to own an exotic fish or a snake or an alligator, and it’s cute when it’s small,” Parker said. “But maybe they can’t afford that or house it anymore, and they decide maybe this is someone else’s problem.”
“It’s a lifelong responsibility for many of these species that do live fairly long lives and are expensive to take care of, require a special habitat, special food, a lot of care,” he added. “And people quickly tire of that and decide the best thing to do for this animal would be to go throw it in the river, go throw it in a pond. That is probably the worst thing you can do for an animal that’s been a pet.”
The piranha caught by 8-year-old Seamus Coffey at Ridley Park Lake in Pennsylvania.
Credit: Mike Coffey
Ultimately, Michael “humanely” killed the fish and disposed of it, which Parker supported as the right decision. The piranha wouldn’t have lived long in the Pennsylvania ecosystem, and it didn’t have the survival skills to fend for itself.
Read the original article on People