MAINE TOWNSHIP, Illinois — A little girl is recovering at a hospital after she apparently stuck her hand into the family fish tank and a piranha bit off the tip of her finger this week at their Maine Township home.
The 18-month-old girl was at her home in the Bay Colony residential complex Tuesday night, said Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
The parents suddenly heard their daughter start crying and rushed over to find her finger bleeding. They became frantic when they found the child’s fingertip was severed and assumed the culprit was their 65-pound family pit bull, said Bilecki.
They called 911 and an ambulance took her to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where a doctor realized this was not the case.
“He said: ‘This is not a dog bite,”’ Bilecki said.
Authorities called her father, who was still at the home, and he immediately plunged his hand into the fish bowl, grabbing one of two piranhas.
“He had no fear; these were truly fatherly instincts,” Bilecki said. “He grabbed a knife and cut it open and found her fingertip right there.”
The piece of her finger was taken to the hospital and doctors were trying to re-attach it, but Bilecki did not know if that operation was successful as of Friday afternoon.
The father “was so emotional about it they almost had to drive for him,” Bilecki said of the sheriff’s officers who helped out.
Bilecki said he did not know if the tank, which was close to where the girl was playing, was covered or how the child got access to it.
Bilecki said the mother and father are not facing any citations after the incident.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was called to make sure there were no “issues,” said Bilecki, who added that it was his understanding that there were none.
Sheriff’s police, also, did not show any calls at the home.
“We checked out logs to see if we had any other previous calls and there were none whatsoever,” Bilecki said.
“The parents are truly distraught and freaked out by the incident,” said Bilecki. “They appear to be good parents in an unfortunate situation.”
The girl is their only child and no other children live at the home, said Bilecki.
The Shedd Aquarium gets one or two calls a year from pet owners or physicians wanting to know how to treat a piranha bite. But the experts there rarely hear about one of the fish nipping off a fingertip, said George Parsons, director of the Shedd’s fishes department.
Parsons said piranhas, which can be sold legally in Illinois, are wild animals with razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws that can do major damage.
The most common type of piranha sold in pet shops is the red belly, which can grow up to eight inches long with a mouth the diameter of a shot glass, he said. It’s not clear what type of piranha bit the girl.
Despite their wild instincts, piranhas are typically a shy breed — they tend not to interact with people, Parsons said. As they spend time in tanks, they’re conditioned to know that food always comes from the top, he said.
“Anything that disturbs the water from the top they associate with food, and they’ll try and go after it,” he said. “I’m sure it wasn’t a malicious attack, but more of a mistaken instance.”
Parsons said piranha owners need to do research on the fish — it’s important to have a large aquarium and use a plastic tong to feed them so there’s no chance of the animal biting someone’s hand. He also recommends a secure top with a lock so people can’t reach into the tank.
© 2012 the Chicago Tribune
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Why in the name of God would anyone want a ” pet piranha? “
Or pet snake, spider, bear, lion, monkey, or bad tempered dog.
A pit bull, a piranha, and an 18 month old child. Now that’s a recipe for disaster. What is wrong with these people?
3 words. white. trash. trailer.
It makes daddy’s small penis seem bigger to have these dangerous critters in his power.
Oh boy, here we go with the pit bull haters….get over it people, grow up, educate yourselves about the breed will ya? Geez!
Seems the parents need some heavy duty forever supervision and punishment.
Once again, the innocent child pays for their parent’s stupidity.
I never have determined why people want these fish. Have you ever seen one? They are not that attractive. They just sit there, waiting to be fed. Boring. And, no surprise, they are the only thing in the tank.
What’s next? A boa constrictor?
Really people, lose the stupid pets. You have a kid to raise. Try a retriever. Or, a border collie – do that and you’ll always know where the kids are – herded together in the center of the yard.
I apologize for seeming to be judgemental but come on…..what person in their right mind has toddlers & piranhas in the same house???
I hope this little girl was able to have her finger reattached, and makes a complete recovery!
Stupid parents…
Stupid boring trash being passed off at “news”!
I understand peoples’ knee-jerk/angry reaction to this story; I felt it too, but rather than call these people white trash or complain because they’re keeping a certain breed of animal, let’s look at the real issue here. The real problem is respect; any animal kept in one’s home must be respected for its power, because it is fully equipped in the wild for survival, hunting and defense. Familiarity with an animal causes those who are around them the most to let down their guard and THAT is what causes most of these completely preventable incidents.
That toddler lost a finger–it could have been worse–because her parents did not respect/or forgot the power of those piranha; there should have been a locking mechanism on that tank at all times. If someone wants to keep piranha or whatever, that’s their right in this country, but if they have children, it isn’t smart to keep both. I say this as a snake breeder; I saw the comment below about the boa constrictor–and that’s harsh. Our largest is a 16-foot Burmese python, and you’d better believe we respect her power at ALL times, and we never forget what she is; a lethal predator. Sure, although she’s laid-back and calm (and has NEVER tried to bite) she’s scared to death of my 2 cats, but I still don’t allow them anywhere near when we’re dealing with the snakes. That goes for children too. It’s just common sense. If more people had it, and used it, fewer children would be killed/maimed/injured. It’s too bad that the lesson these parents just learned came at the expense of their child.