Keep your GARd up

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/07/31/dnt.fishgator.ktvk

Strange rumblings from the late July desert. The only thing worse than a fish out of water is a fish in the wrong water. It’s obvious what happened here. Some rogue gar enthusiast took pity on the Ohio River alligator gar. In other bodies of water the prehistoric alligator-snake-fish would be the top of the food chain. But in the rip-roaring sea jungle we know as the mighty Ohio, they are nothing more than mordant din for gigantic catfish.

This we know: the enthusiast is catching gar from the river and transporting them to other smaller bodies of water, at least one of them being in Arizona. This we can only assume: the enthusiast is putting a major dent in the population of a staple of the monster’s diet, thereby making it more likely to attack and consume other prey such as homeless drifter, water skier or riverboat cruise. The rogue has already made it as far away as steamy Arizona and there’s no telling what other reaches of the country or planet he or she has been to, leaving a trail of vicious river gar in his or her wake. It is necessary to scour every lake, pond, river, stream, swimming hole and reservoir between here and the unknown.

But we are of limited resources. All we can reasonably do is go about our business and keep our eyes peeled. If you encounter any alligator gar anywhere outside of the Ohio River, please do the right thing – catch it, bring it back to the Ohio, release it in the muddy waters and allow it to return to its rightful place in the belly of a gigantic catfish.