Mar 31 2010 By Isaac Ashe
VISITORS to the serene Stonebow Washlands might not guess at the terrors lurking in the depths of the beauty spot’s placid lagoons... Stonebow Jaws!
At least three adult ducks have been seen dragged beneath the water and devoured by what is believed to be a monster pike living in the lakes - leading to a warning being issued to users of the Washlands not to go into the water. Local schoolchildren have been told not to go pond-dipping at the site, and dog owners are being asked not to let smaller animals swim in the waters.
One eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: “I was walking with my dog around the larger lake on Monday, and there were two mallards on the pond.
“There was quite a commotion with the female making a lot of noise, and while I was looking she just disappeared.
“The male was just sitting there, so I walked round to get a better view and he just went down - all I could see was a ripple and three feathers on the water.
“It was quite upsetting.”
Coun Roy Campsall said: “The number of ducks at Stonebow Washlands has been going down, and now we know why.
“It’s pretty scary actually - to take a duck down it’s got to be monstrous.”
Mark Chapman, wildlife development officer at Charnwood Borough Council, said there were no plans for the authority to hunt down Stonebow Jaws: “Pike are a natural part of the ecology of our lakes, a native fish that have lived alongside wildfowl for tousands of years.
“This one would have to be a pretty big pike that’s recently been put in. They aren’t supposed to be there and people aren’t supposed to fish at Stonebow Washlands.
“We do take out all the introduced fish from time to time to stop people fishing, but we can only do that during the winter.”
The longest Northern pike, the species native to England, ever recorded was 152cm and weighed 28kg.
http://www.loughboroughecho.net/news/loughborough-news/2010/03/31/lough-ness-monster-terrorising-ducks-at-beauty-spot-73871-26146078/
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