It was an ordinary day. Reading that the officials at Lititz Springs Park in nearby Lititz, PA, say a small collection of domesticated fish were dumped in the park on Friday, September 6. Park staff were informed by visitors that five koi, roughly a foot-and-a-half long, and a number of goldfish had been released in the park's popular duck pond. "It was a mistake," Lititz Springs Park Board President Rich Motz said Saturday. "Someone thought it would be OK to leave koi in the pond, but it's not." Park staff were able to catch four of the five koi and fantail goldfish using nets and a canoe. Motz said he waded out into the middle of the pond and tried to catch the last one himself. "They're surprisingly fast," Motz said of the koi. Koi, or nishikigoi, are a colorful, ornamental variety of carp.
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| Pond at Lititz Spring Park where fish are dumped |
According to the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute, modern koi domestication originated in 19th Century Japan when wild, colorful carp were caught, kept and bred by rice farmers. The fish caught by park staff were moved to a private pond Saturday, but one koi and some goldfish still remain at the park. Motz said he believes the fish might not survive very long at the park due to a lack of oxygen in the pond's water and predators such as herons. He also worries that the fish could move downstream, out of the park and into Lititz Run. Koi and goldfish, when released into the wild, are considered invasive species. According to the Pennsylvania Sea Grant, goldfish, koi and other species of invasive carp can cause the decline of native fish and plant species when released into the wild. They can reproduce quickly into large populations that outcompete native species for food sources. Koi and goldfish also have the potential to carry diseases such as koi herpesvirus that can harm local fish populations.
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| Koi that have been dumped into the Lititz Spring Park pond |
Motz said animal dumping has been an ongoing issue at Lititz Springs Park. For years, domesticated ducks have been dumped at the park. According to Motz, the domesticated ducks have started interbreeding with wild mallards living in the park. "Domestic ducks are very different that wild ducks and cannot fly and have no survival skills," New York-based animal advocate Jessica Hope Zafonte told LNP in 2020. "They don't know how to forage for food and rely on humans to feed them". The park also has had an ongoing problem with visitors feeding the ducks. Motz said he has seen visitors feed ducks pieces of bread, pretzels and other discarded food, all of which can make the birds ill. "People used to bring garbage into the park thinking the birds would eat it," Motz said. "They don't. We have to cart it off." Motz said park officials want visitors to be aware of the impact abandoned animals can have on the park and the wildlife in the area. "We just don't want any kind of animals dumped at our parks," Motz said. But you know....people won't listen to the pros....they just have to make a visit to the park and bring all their trash with them to feed to the fish. Maybe when all the fish are gone due to their stupidity, they will finally learn their lesson. And...stupid people tend to breed more stupid people. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Those last few sentences were from yours truly!
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