Goldfish Don’t Belong Here: Game and Fish Warns Against Dumping Pets in Wyoming Waters

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is reminding folks of a simple rule: if you don’t want your pet anymore, don’t toss it in a pond.

Biologists recently pulled goldfish out of the May Park pond in Jackson after a tip from a local resident. Cute in a bowl, sure — but in the wild? A real problem.

“Goldfish and other nonnative pets can quickly take over and push out native species,” said Reed Moore, an Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist with Game and Fish. “They reproduce fast, they dominate, and they can wreck an ecosystem.”

It’s not just competition. Released pets can spread diseases to native wildlife, or, in many cases, simply die because they can’t hack it in the wild — which Moore called “cruel to the animal.”

And once they do establish a foothold? Good luck getting rid of them. Game and Fish has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to wipe out invasive goldfish populations elsewhere in Wyoming. Sometimes the efforts fail completely; other times, biologists just manage to knock the numbers down.

Goldfish aren’t the only issue. Moore noted that bullfrogs have also set up shop in parts of Sheridan County, likely after being released. Now that they’re established, the odds of eradicating them are “extremely low, if not impossible.”

The department’s advice is straightforward: never release pets or plants into the wild. Instead, follow the C.A.R.E. guidelines:

• Contact the place where you bought the pet and see if they’ll take it back.
• Act responsibly — don’t release animals or plants into the wild.
• Research shelters, zoos, aquariums, or pet stores that might take them.
• Euthanize as a last resort — it’s far more humane than letting an animal starve or destroy a local habitat.

Even aquarium plants shouldn’t be dumped — freeze them and toss them in the trash.

Game and Fish says the message is simple: if you’re done with a pet, don’t make it Wyoming’s problem.

The original story by Floyd Whiting for Sheridan Media.