Eighteen Koi died after a pond in Newport was deliberately poisoned.
An intruder broke into a garden in Shuker Close over the weekend and poured a substance — thought to be some kind of detergent — into the 12' x 6' wooden pond.
Ellen Tough returned to her home on Sunday to find all the fish, estimated to have been worth about £2000, floating dead in the pond.
She told The Shropshire Star she was "devastated" and added: "I wish they had stolen them — at least they’d be alive then.
"They were my babies. They all had names and I found them company. They used to come to me and I’d stroke their bellies."
The incident is thought to have occurred some time between 11.40am on Saturday morning and 1.30pm on Sunday.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 0342 S270414.
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