A man who shares his home with hundreds of ‘monster fish’ and reptiles he rescues from all over the north west has launched a campaign to rebuild his collection worth more than £60,000 after they were wiped out the New Year’s Day floods in Platt Bridge.
The foul water that inundated the area around Templeton Road and Walthew Lane killed large Lungfish that escaped from his home after it was submerged in several feet of water. Craig Anderson, 26, went into action early on New Year’s Day when awoke to find the ground floor of the property where keeps his fish tanks and cages under water.
He knocked on the doors of neighbours and helped firefighters who he warned to keep out of the water because some of the fish that escaped were potentially dangerous. “Out of 2,500 fish I kept here, I have only five left,” he said. “The rest have died because of how polluted the water was.”
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Craig, who has a dangerous animals licence and who gives lectures in schools and colleges about the creatures, has now launched a GoFundMe appeal to rebuild his stock of fish and reptiles. It has already raised £600.
Craig Anderson is still dealing with his dead fish
“My fish room was dedicated to rescuing monster fish from all over the north west,” said Craig. “I house fish that have grown too big for their current homes.
“These fish are greatly loved and I believe my rescue provided great support for the fish-keeping community. I’ve been interested in these fish and reptiles since I was about 10 years old. I volunteered from an early age at a pet shop.
“Although I have been a lorry driver, about eight years ago I dedicated my full-time job towards looking after these creatures. What happened on New Year’s Day was heartbreaking. I’m still dealing with lots of dead fish which are in the fish room at the back of the house and the tanks which are mostly wrecked.”
The flood water at its peak on New Year’s Day
He said that friends and other specialists in reptiles based in London had rehomed some of the snakes and reptiles he was also keeping. Among his array of fish were stingrays, various breeds of catfish, a giant meekong cat, giant gourami, West African lungfish and snake heads.
Anyone interested in donating to Craig’s fund should visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/s4d7a-help-rebuild-what-we-lost