A Wisconsin man has created an unlikely bond with a wild fish — and the two reportedly "meet" every summer at the same spot.
Rex Colubra, 40, became "friends" with the fresh water smallmouth bass while on a dive in September 2021, news agency SWNS reported.
The strange encounter ended with the pair creating a bond — and Colubra even named the fish Elvis.
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The man and the fish now reportedly "see" each other each year when Colubra travels to the lake where Elvis the fish lives.
A print-shop worker and animal enclosure maker, Colubra says his "friend" gets jealous if other fish get too close to him.
"I even taught him a call," said Colubra. "I will do a gulping grunt sound with my throat and he'll come find me."
He added, "Elvis will literally just fight other fish if they get too close to me to keep them away."
Of their first meeting, Colubra said, "It was like any other dive; I was checking out a new spot and all these fish where coming up to me."
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He continued, "I noticed one was sticking closer than the rest. He wasn't scared even when I got out. He stuck close to the surface in the shallows."
He returned to the same spot two weeks later — and the fish recognized him and approached him, Colubra also said, as SWNS reported.
"Two weeks later, I returned and fed him some crawfish," he noted.
"He's completely obsessed with me," he said of Elvis. "He follows me around and just stares me in the eyes."
Colubra said he is able to recognize Elvis due to a scar the fish has on its face — most likely from being caught by a fisherman, reported SWNS.
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Ever since the two bonded, there have been a few times when Colubra has feared the worst, he said — that Elvis had died.
Last year, it took Colubra a while to find the fish, according to SWNS.
Colubra will not reveal which lake Rex lives in, in order to protect him from fishermen, SWNS reported.
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He said, "Of course, I would be sad if he had been caught. He's my friend."
He added, "There's not much I can do to protect him. It's the risk he runs every year."
Colubra also said, "I don't like sport fishing. I think it's immoral."
He said as well, "If you are going to catch a fish, you should eat it and not just put a hook in it."
