Deadly piranhas found in lake in Doncaster after ducks mysteriously vanish, say reports

‘It’s not the kind of thing you expect to find here,’ says one Yorkshire local

Flesh-eating piranhas have been found at a lake in Doncaster – amid claims that ducks and other wildlife are mysteriously disappearing without trace.

The first razor-toothed predator was spotted floating in the waters of Edlington Brick Pond by a couple enjoying an afternoon walk with their 8-year-old son.

Davey White and Lisa Holmes told the Doncaster Free Press they did not recognise the fish was a piranha at first – albeit a dead one.

“My partner is a fisherman and was looking around the edge of the lake when he suddenly spotted this fish floating near one of the pegs,” said Ms Holmes.

“He managed to get it out of the water and although he’s a keen angler, he wasn’t sure what type of fish it was straight away.

“But then we started looking at it more closely and saw the teeth we realised it was a piranha. We went home and googled it and its quite clear its a piranha. It was quite a shock.”

A second dead piranha was found in the same lake by Toni Hooper while out walking with her family on Sunday. “When we realised what it was, it sent shivers down my spine,” she said.

“This is a popular spot among families, dog walkers and fishermen. It’s always busy here,” she said.

“There’s a play park nearby, so you get kids here paddling in the water, teenagers will go swimming here. You wouldn’t catch me going in the water.”

The discoveries have prompted concerns about an apparent decline in the number of other fish such as carp, tench and bream, as well as ducks and swans.

Ms Hooper added; “We came here to feed the ducks and on Sunday we noticed there was only one duck and two ducklings.

“I’m concerned about where the wildlife is. I’ve spoken to others who have said they’ve noticed there aren’t as many ducks.”

The dead fish have been passed to the Environment Agency for further investigation, but Doncaster council officials believe they were pets that were placed in the lake when they became too big.

Piranhas are native to South America and mainly feed on fish, although they have been known to attack humans. Most attacks involve minor injuries to hands and feet, although a 6-year-old girl was reportedly killed by piranhas when her canoe capsized in Brazil in 2015.

A large catfish was recently removed from a lake at a shopping centre in Essex after it was caught eating ducks.