Screen shot of the live-streaming. Photo:web

Recently, the capture of a strange fish in Central Park in Ruzhou, Central China's Henan Province, caused many netizens' concerns. The alligator gar, which has been "rounded up" for many days, was identified as a high-risk invasive alien species that would eat all creatures living in the water and damage the local aquatic ecosystems. 

According to the staff of the park, surnamed Qi, when some citizens found the unknown fish and posted its video on the internet in late July, the park immediately paid attention to this issue and started to catch it. 

At first, the park used a large net. Later, it invited a professional team using sonar positioning to find the fish, but the alligator gar may have been disturbed and hid away, so there was no trace of it. Then the park even purchased another large net and baited the fish, but still, nothing was found. Finally, the park had to choose to drain the lake. 

"At present, the hiding places of the alligator gar are basically these culverts connecting the two lakes," Qi said. 

Now the professionals are going to enter the culverts and catch the fish with specialized devices. 

The alligator gar could be bought online in China as an ornamental fish, but it shouldn't be freed in a natural water area. 

Since 2022, alligator gars have appeared in many places. 

A boy in Taizhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, was bitten by an alligator gar on three fingers when he was playing by the pool in his community on August 17.