Sturgeon
(IN PHOTO): An employee holds a sturgeon at a fish farm, with the air temperature at about minus 22 degrees Celsius (minus 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit), near the Nazarovo electric power plant, some 200 km (124 miles) west of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, February 10, 2012. The lake, which doesn't freeze in winter because of the power station nearby which keeps water at about 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit), allows employees to breed fish all year long. Reuters

A fish could be deadly too, like big cats such as lions, tigers and leopards, as well as reptiles like alligators and crocodiles or the snake. An American family enjoying their vacation is now grieving after a sturgeon leapt out of the Suwannee River in Florida on Thursday.

The fish hit and killed 5-year-old Jaylon Rippey, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, reports the Suwannee Democrat Bulletin. The sturgeon also injured the girl’s mother, Tanya Faye, and 9-year-old brother, Trevor.

The Rippys, who are from Trenton, were flown to the Shands Hospital in Gainesville for treatment. To help the family pay for the funeral of Jaylon and medical expenses of Tanya and Trevor, a GoFundMe account was opened for them. As of Saturday night, over $8,000 have been deposited in the account.

Although Swannee’s sturgeons, which could grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 200 pounds, are known for leaping, Jaylon’s death was the first incident when a fish hit was fatal. In June, another sturgeon struck and hit a teenager, but the victim was only knocked unconscious. In the earlier part of 2015, flying sturgeons also injured three other boaters in Florida.

According to National Geographic, sturgeons used to thrive in the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi River ecosystems. However, intense fishing caused a big drop in the species’ population. Sturgeons used to be considered nuisance for damaging fishing gear and killed. However, when it meat and egg became prize catch, commercial fisherman targeted sturgeons.

It has resulted in 19 of 20 states within the sturgeon’s original US range list classifying the fish as threatened or endangered. The fish, though, has made a comeback in recent years, including the risk it unintentionally brings to boaters and lake travelers.

To contact the writer, email: vittoriohernandez@yahoo.com

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