After spending 48 hours on ice, a woman who had purchased a fish for dinner was surprised to find it still alive.
On February 10, Cheltenham resident Cindy Lao was in London for Chinese New Year and bought a Crucian carp from a neighborhood fishmonger in Greenford.
When she got back home, she put the fish in the freezer and forgot about it until she went to get the carp for supper.
The fish was still alive after 48 hours on the ice, which startled Cindy.
Her partner, Paul Lewis-Borman, said: ‘[Cindy] called me down as she thought she had seen the Crucian carp’s gills moving and asked me what I thought.
‘They certainly were.
‘I was in two minds of whether to put the poor thing out of its misery but Cindy said, “no, it’s a miracle he is still alive.” So we got a bowl of water to put him in.’
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The couple then acted swiftly and ran a bath to place the fish in, who they’ve since named Lazarus – after a figure from the Bible who rose from the dead.
Paul added: ‘The carp was listless for a while, but after 20 minutes those gills were certainly going.
‘We had nowhere to keep him except the bath and luckily we have another shower room.
‘Needless to say he could not stay there and it did put you off when you were trying to use the toilet.’
Paul said the couple eventually decided to find a home for Lazarus. He posted on an online forum, and soon found a woman with a Koi carp pond who said she would take care of the fish.
Paul added: ‘He needed to be rehoused, if for no other reason than my girlfriend was paying the fish more attention than she did me.
‘He had been through a lot. He was sandwiched between all those dead fish for all that time and was nearly dinner.
‘We are pleased he now has a good home. The lady told us he now has a best fish friend who he happily is swimming about with in his new home.’