Goldfish, unfortunately often bought at fairs and in pet shops. But just as often abandoned or worse thrown down the drain. To remedy this, in Paris "unwanted" goldfish will be able to find a new home in the largest aquarium in the city.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Goldfish, unfortunately often bought at fairs and in pet shops. But just as often abandoned or worse thrown down the drain. To remedy this, in Paris the "unwanted" goldfish will be able to find a new home in the largest aquarium in the city.
L'Aquarium de Paris has created a refuge for goldfish, offering a second life to unwanted pets that might otherwise find themselves thrown down the toilet.
The inhabitants of the city can bring their fish there. Once in the aquarium, they are subjected to a complete medical check-up, possibly cured and after a month of quarantine they are released into a huge tank, much larger than in home aquariums. It is still a "golden prison" but the fate that awaits them is certainly worse,
"Some of them come very weak", he said Celine Bezault, who looks after the fish in the giant aquarium complex opposite the Eiffel Tower.
Since it was created two years ago, the goldfish rescue service has been used by around 50 people a month and the tank now holds around 600 specimens, mostly the classic red-gold version, as well as striped ones.
Instead of spending all day hitting the glass of a small bowl, the fish here has room to swim and lots of company. Some owners deliver their pets in tears, motivated by concern for their fish, while others seem relieved to have gotten rid of them.
Once in a larger tank, some undergo a noticeable transformation. Being confined to a small home aquarium hinders growth: “They can reach up to 20-30 centimeters,” Bezault said.
For Alexis Powilewicz, director of the Aquarium, the service is part of efforts to promote awareness of animal welfare.
"I think there is a growing awareness that animal abuse is a real problem," Powilewicz told AFP.
Of course, the best solution would be to avoid buying them or capturing them in rivers and lakes but if after doing so you decide you don't want to keep them anymore, the Parisian solution seems the lesser evil, offering a new home to these animals, often considered as objects and games for children.
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Francesca Mancuso
