The largest surviving wild Chinese sturgeon in China, weighing about 300 kilos, is currently enjoying its life at the Beijing Aquarium.
This year marks the ninth year that the female giant wild Chinese sturgeon named "Houfu", meaning "Post Joy", has been residing at the aquarium for further treatment since November 2015 after being found injured and saved in the Yangtze River Basin a year before by a rescue team from the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.
"Houfu" was mistakenly caught by a fisherman and had suffered multiple injuries, exhibiting imbalanced movements when being found.
"It should be the largest Chinese sturgeon that we can see nationwide. During its physical check-up last year, its weight was close to 300 kilos, with the length reaching up to 3.65 meters,”said Wang Yanpeng, head of the Chinese surgeon breeding program at the Beijing Aquarium.
Ranked as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Chinese sturgeon, or zhonghuaxun, is a "living fossil" that dates back to prehistoric times and lives mainly in the Yangtze River.
Since last year, "Houfu", about 40 years old, has been going through its third sexual maturation period after being rescued and shows a decreased appetite. As a result, the aquarium staff are encouraging it to self-feed by underwater companionship and hand-feeding.
Wang said his team will continue to closely monitor its health condition and provide nutritional supplements as needed.
"In our daily routine, we observe its health and behaviors, including its changes in the swimming speed, respiration rate, and swimming depth preference. We judge whether it's sick, uncomfortable, or undergoing developmental changes based on these behavioral changes,”Wang said.
China's largest surviving wild Chinese sturgeon thrives in Beijing
