An Innocent Victim!

This one just isn't fair.  We have been raising Koi for a few years now.  This little guy, our smallest,  as you can see is still a fair size - almost 1/2 the page of our Vancouver Sun newspaper.
Last year we had a pair of herons build a nest in a tree across the road, and they have returned this year again to their same nest.  Our worst nightmare!  We have lost most of our goldfish now to these predators, but have never worried about them taking our Koi, as they are just too big.  Or so we thought.
In catching fish, the Blue Heron grabs smaller fish between the two mandibles of its bill, tosses them up and swallows them. We had no idea until now, that Herons will also go for large fish.  With a quick strike, it stabs the larger fish, grabs them and either swallows them partially to regurgitate in the nest, or else just eats them.  Chris found this little guy swimming in circles gasping the other day.  He went into to the pond to catch and examine him, and found a huge clean stab wound right through its chest area.  Those nasty herons.  Must have stabbed and not been able to catch.  Mr. Koi did not survive.  We have 3 others left, all bigger in size.  Fingers crossed they will be ok.  Nature is brutal at times.