The BBC reports Dr. Rich put George to sleep with anesthetic in his water before removing the tumor.

Once the surgery was over, Rich used stitches and glue to put the little fish back together.

The Sydney Morning Herald describes George's owner as, "quite attached" to the animal.

Rich told the paper the surgery was “fiddly” due to the animal’s small size. Nevertheless, it was cheap. Rich only charged “a few hundred dollars, and mostly it's charged for the standard anesthetic” for the procedure.

Rich says George is doing great and may live another 20 years.

More here.

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Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the AJC since 1997, reviews a selection of articles he has contributed to during his time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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