50 koi stolen from San Jose's Japanese Friendship Garden, officials say

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Parks officials in San Jose said Wednesday they are heartbroken after discovering that 50 koi were missing from the Japanese Friendship Garden.

A spokesperson from the San Jose Department of Parks and Recreation Services said it happened overnight on April 29. They posted about the incident on social media Wednesday.

"They were stolen over the previous weekend from the isolation tanks that they were housed in," Daniel Lazo said. A park ranger staff made the discovery.

Lazo says each fish costs about $75, so approximately $4,000 worth of fish were stolen. A pump was also taken.

In the 1960s, 300 koi fish were gifted to San Jose from the city of Okayama, Japan. There are now 220 fish.

"We are definitely ramping up on our security at the Japanese Friendship Garden. We have had several instances of break-ins in this past year including stolen tools and equipment and vandalized property as well," Lazo said.

Tom Lai, owner of Champion Nishikigoi, a koi and pond supply store said it's terrible.

"I was sad, and disappointed someone would go to that effort to steal fish from a park that everyone's enjoying," Lai said.

Parks and Rec rangers purchase supplies and food from Champion Nishikigoi. They cater to koi collectors.

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"Some people keep them for luck but most people keep them for enjoyment,' Lai said.

The value of the fish depend on pattern, color and size.

Prices for koi fish can range from $25 to $30,000 each.

"I don't often see or hear about koi theft. So I don't know what they're going to do. Maybe it's a hobbyist who just wants to fill their pond with fish. It's possible cause it's not easy selling them because people will recognize them," Lai said.

"Even koi is a homophone for another word that means affection and love in Japanese, so definitely we're missing a part of that," Lazo said.

Anyone with information regarding the missing fish is asked to report it to the non-emergency police number at (408) 277-8900.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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