In Illinois we certainly have our trouble with invasive species. The jumping Asian carp comes to mind first.

But in Boulder, Colo., they're facing a very different problem. A press release put out by Colorado Parks and Wildlife explains that regular old goldfish have multiplied into the thousands in the 12-acre Teller Lake #5. Wildlife officials suspect they started as perhaps four or five abandoned pets two or three years ago.

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
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Officials say because the goldfish are not a native species and can be very harmful to the local aquatic ecosystem they will have to be removed. ABC Denver reports that there are two options available:

...draining the entire lake, or electrofishing, in which fish are stunned by an electrical current that's placed in the water; they're then removed from the lake while paralyzed.

As for what kind of fish they are, they're really "just goldfish," Boulder district wildlife manager Jennifer Churchill says. During a Friday visit, the Daily Camera reports seeing goldfish roughly two to four inches in length, many a "vivid gold" color.

Unfortunately for animal lovers, the removed goldfish will not be put up for adoption. Fortunately for animal lovers they apparently will be used as food at a local raptor rehabilitation program.

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