A rare $400 dollar puffer fish that was stolen from a Portland store last week was returned Thursday in perfect health, according to a store employee.
The fish was taken just before noon on Oct. 16 from Wet Spot Tropical Fish, located on Northeast 43rd Avenue and Hancock Street.
The Spotted Congo Puffer is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and it’s not often one can be found in Portland.
“We haven’t had one here in maybe a decade,” said Brandon Bacod, manager of Wet Spot Tropical Fish. “It’s been a very, very long time. They’re few and far in between. It’s like a mythical creature, if you will.”
Security cameras didn’t record enough to catch the thief, according to Bacod.
However, on Thursday morning, the store received an anonymous call. The caller said to look for the fish at the Grocery Outlet across the street from the store.
Employees found the fish in a glass pickle jar wrapped in a towel on the Grocery Outlet loading dock.
Following the incident, the fish has been named “Ransom.”