A normal day by the pond led to the catch of a lifetime for an 11-year-old Oklahoma boy.
Charlie Clinton managed to reel in a pacu, a piranha cousin native to South America, in a suburban pond in an Oklahoma City suburb, according to NPR.
The pacu is an invasive species that can harm ecosystems where introduced to an area, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation wrote in a Tweet.
Janna Clinton, Charlie’s mom, told NPR she thought her son “was just being dramatic,” when he first alerted her to the catch.
“Obviously being in a neighborhood pond, we’re used to just catching a few bass or catfish,” the mom continued.
Janna said her son was alone “down there fishing and he did a great job” and later told her that the fish “put up a heck of a fight,” NPR reported.
Dear, whoever released an entire Pacu (a South American fish closely related to Piranha) into a NEIGHBORHOOD pond;
how dare you. pic.twitter.com/WwQqJ9REAz
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept) July 18, 2023
The mother and son duo released the fish, which had “human-like teeth,” before realizing it was invasive, the outlet reported.
“He did stay at the ponds pretty late that night trying to catch it again,” Janna told NPR. (RELATED: Missouri Fisherman Reels In Massive Lake Sturgeon)
“If he catches it again, we’re going to get it mounted for him. I think that’s a heck of a prize and he deserves it,” Janna continued, adding they would “make it look like the fish was smiling so you could see its teeth.”