Someone dumped a few pet goldfish into a Colorado lake and now there are 4,000 ruining the ecosystem

Colorado park and wildlife officials are dealing with an infestation of approximately 4,000 goldfish in a Boulder lake.

The goldfish invasion at Teller lake is believed to originate from someone dumping at least four to five pet goldfish in the water two years ago.

Since the goldfish are a non-native species to Colorado, park officials are concerned that these fragile harmless fish will threaten the area's natural aquatic ecosystem.

"It's a bad thing, it's a really bad thing ... they'll start eating up everything that the native fish, and the amphibians, and the birds are here to eat and so that can have a really negative effect down the road and this can kill this fishery in a few years," Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jennifer Churchill told Fox 31 News.

According to Churchill there are two options, either drain the entire 12-acre lake and rebuild the fish population or temporarily electroshock the fish and capture them while they are paralyzed.