Woman finds dozens of live fish in dumpster behind pet store

People are flooding to social media in horror after a TikToker revealed what they discovered during a dumpster diving excursion.

A dumpster diver - someone who goes looking through the trash, typically outside stores, to find food which hasn't gone off yet or any items of value - went rifling through the bins of a PetSmart in Idaho only to come across something very unexpected.

Much to Kate Hahn's horror, she didn't stumble across any edible food, or particularly profitable items, instead, she found dozens and dozens of fish... and all very much still alive.

In a recording uploaded to her TikTok, Kate reveals the box of multiple pots of fish she found upon opening the bin behind PetSmart during her first ever dumpster dive.

She says: "They've lost like half their water, more than half. They're all alive. PetSmart literally threw them away. It's so sad."

"Words can not describe how disgusted I am," the caption reads.

Kate was so 'lost for words' after stumbling upon the box of live betta fish - a Siamese fighting fish native to south-east Asia - she initially 'didn't know what to do'.

"Because what do you do? Betta fish can't be put together. I couldn't even top them up with water if I wanted to do because they require special drops to be put in their water," Kate continues. "I look at the box also and it said May 10 on it. I was like holy crap, these fish had been in there three almost four days. I was like, 'How are they still alive?'"

Kate asked around online to see if anyone could come pick them up and one person offered to take all the female fish - who apparently don't fight if they're kept in a big enough tank - however the volunteer later pulled out.

Kate then spotted some of the stores' workers locking up, who she says were 'in shock' when she told them what she found, claiming it must've been 'an accident' the fish ended up in the bin.

"Basically I think nobody ever opened this box and somehow it got thrown in this cardboard only dumpster.

"This is where I get so confused because it was heavy. It was very obvious it wasn't an empty box," Kate reflects.

The manager of the store was eventually called and a worker took the fish home with them, before returning the animals to PetSmart the next day.

The worker also later commented on Kate's TikTok to report they'd managed to save all the fish bar one.

Kate resolved: "Mistakes happen but after reading all the comments I don't know if my decision was the right one to make. But I know if I'd taken them all, their chances would've been very minimal.

"I really hope it was a mistake. I hope they take it seriously and that whoever made the mistake is let go, because it's not a mistake I think should be overlooked."

A spokesperson for PetSmart told UNILAD: "We are pet parents and nothing is more important than the health and safety of pets in our care.

"This was an isolated incident, made in error, which we sincerely regret. We are using this situation to review store policies and procedures with our team to reinforce our industry-leading pet care standards."

UNILAD has contacted Kate for comment.

If you see an animal in distress and/or in need of help, contact the RSPCA's 24-hour animal cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 or visit their website for further advice. In the US, call SPCA on 212-244-SPCA (7722) Monday – Friday 9am-5pm EST or call 9111 if a crime is in progress.