DARK WATERS

May 14, 2017 8:52 PM

Some of the world’s largest, oldest fish live in Oregon. Why anyone would want to vandalize them, even abduct them, takes explaining.

Sturgeon poachers close Gilbert River fishery to all anglers

posted by the man of twists and turns (5 comments total)

When I lived in Santa Barbara, there was this lovely little pocket park, who's name escapes me this many years later. It was green and inviting with soft grass and a cute little pond that was always occupied by inoffensive, largely introverted ducks (If you threw out feed, they would eat it, but they wouldn't go around begging for it or attacking people or anything). It was a beloved SB secret.

Then one day, people started noticing fewer and fewer ducks, until, finally the park was silent of quacking. I heard when the Park District investigated later, it turned out someone had put one or more piranhas in the duck pond.

People are dicks. This is why stuff like that (and this) happens.
posted by Samizdata at 9:34 PM on May 14, 2017 [8 favorites]

Fantastic essay, thanks.
posted by Rumple at 12:09 AM on May 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

A really interesting, long read, thanks!


... it turned out someone had put one or more piranhas in the duck pond.

I had heard such stories, growing up in Santa Barbara in the 1980s and '90s, I thought that story about piranhas was apocryphal, but lo and behold, the LA Times has a 1989 article on two piranhas in Alice Keck Park (or rather, the Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, or the Alice Keck Park Park).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:04 AM on May 15, 2017 [2 favorites]

Lovely, but hard to read at times, what with people being the assholes they most always are...
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:19 PM on May 15, 2017

I imagine ducks noticing their peers in distress being eating by piranhas would eventually lead to the ducks leaving the pond. I doubt they all stayed there until everyone was eaten alive. Regardless, it is a horrible thing to do.
posted by dov3 at 2:22 PM on May 15, 2017