A man in the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou recently paid 1,000 yuan ($142) for a large “fish” at a local market.

The man, surnamed Chen, said the animal looked to be smiling at him. When he brought the creature home, he did some research and found that it was not a “fish” at all but a nationally-protected finless porpoise. He then promptly reported the situation to police.

Upon arrival, authorities confirmed that the animal was, in fact, a porpoise and determined that it needed to be promptly released back into the water to avoid any further harm.

Footage posted online shows workers carrying the porpoise to a river. It’s unclear if Chen got any kind of refund.