Derbyshire grandmother “heartbroken” by “deliberate” poisoning of Koi carp
A Derbyshire pensioner has been left heartbroken by the “deliberate” poisoning of her Koi carp – one of which was over 40 years old.
Christine Whitley, 70, had amassed the collection of 40 aquatic creatures over a period of 28 years, during which time she painstakingly adjusted filters and plants to provide the perfect environment for them.
The fish – worth thousands – were all reared from juveniles in the pond on Preston Avenue, In Alfreton, and have seen growing by two generations of Christine’s family.
The last time Christine saw the fish alive and well was around 5.30pm on October 24. The next morning, around 7am, she noticed the pond and surrounding garden covered in foam – which is thought to be detergent deliberately poured into the pond.
Speaking about the awful discovery, her daughter Emily Wilson said: "As she got closer to the pond she could see it and it was just all foam. She could see the fish were not in a good condition.”
Emily and other family members tried to transfer the carp to a large paddling pool, however they had all died apart from one small, lone survivor which has since been renamed “Lucky”.
Devastated Emily said: “She brought them as baby fish. The whole family contributed to them. We brought them for her birthdays, Mother’s Day – even Christmas.
"It takes years for them to get to the size her fish were and it takes lots of care, love and dedication. Mum absolutely loved her garden and her fish and she knew every fish down to its last scale.
"We all watched them grow and if she knew children or great-grandchildren were visiting she would wait as the kids liked to feed them – the effect on my mum is heartbreaking, she doesn’t even want to walk out onto the garden anymore.”
Emily suspects whoever is responsible for destroying the fish gained entry by scaling a fence bordering disused allotments, where mud was found on the panelling.
A Derbyshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We received a report on October 25 of criminal damage at a property in Preston Avenue, Alfreton, where a number of fish had been killed in a pond.”
He added that enquires were ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact the force with reference 207-251024.