A rare incident left many social media users speechless as a pet fish kept inside a restaurant jumped out its tank and plopped straight into a pot of boiling stew.
CCTV footage captured the fish’s unexpected leap of faith that proved fatal as it shot itself outside the water and into the pot left out for customers at the eaterie in Bozhou, in China’s eastern Anhui Province.
A woman can be seen approaching the boiling liquid, apparently meant for guests’ self-service, when she jumps up as she notices the fish being cooked alive inside it.
Another woman then comes and lifts up the fish with a ladle, but after seeing it is already too late to save it, she leaves it in and covers the pot with a lid.
The restaurant owner, named Ms He in local media, later said the incident occurred after one customer apparently forgot to cover the pot after helping themselves to a refill.
Ms He explained that she had bought the fish quite recently, and suspects it might not have been used to the tank’s small size.
She said: “There are bullfrogs in it, and there are a lot of fish,” saying it could have jumped out because it did not quite fit in with all the other creatures living there.
Ms He added: “I think it’s incredible, the fish was so naughty.”
Later, the staff reportedly fished out the dead creature, and the liquid was also poured out.