Published8. November 2023, 04:58
Canton of Bern: He was condemned to go around in circles
Alone and on display: A woman from the canton of Bern kept her goldfish anything but species-appropriate. This is now costing her dearly.
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For the three months until the inspection, the goldfish was only kept in a round glass – which is clearly contrary to animal welfare. (symbol image)
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Goldfish are best kept in a garden pond.
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Keeping them in an aquarium is also possible, but the active, large goldfish in particular need enough space.
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That’s what it’s about
The public prosecutor’s office has found a 39-year-old woman from Bern guilty of animal cruelty.
The woman has neglected her goldfish for years. He lived alone and with no place to retreat.
The owner was given a conditional fine and a fine.
Apart from the sensitive breeding forms, goldfish are ideally kept in a garden pond. Keeping them in an aquarium is also possible, but the active, large fish – they can be up to 40 cm long – need enough space. According to Swiss Animal Protection (STS), a goldfish aquarium should be at least 120 cm long and 50 cm wide. Animal protection and wild animal regulations also stipulate that the water basins must have privacy protection and retreat options and must not be visible from all sides. Also important: As schooling fish, goldfish cannot be kept alone.
To put it mildly, an owner from Bern didn’t give a damn about all of these regulations. As the penalty order against the 39-year-old shows, she kept her goldfish for five years without a single member of the same species. The aquarium lacked any furnishings; it did not contain any plants, stones or other materials that could have served as a place of rest or retreat for the ornamental fish. The soil substrate was also missing, which prevented it from searching for food in the ground – the so-called “founding”. In addition, you could see directly into the aquarium from all sides, so the fish was permanently on display.
Ex-owner has to pay 1,700 francs
During an inspection by the veterinary office last July, it was also discovered that the aquatic resident had only been kept in a small, round container for the previous three months, which was far from meeting the minimum dimensions for keeping fish. The pet was therefore doomed to go around in circles. “With this attitude, the goldfish was clearly overwhelmed in its ability to adapt and suffered from this condition for years, which the accused, who had not informed herself about the husbandry regulations, accepted,” concludes the Bern-Mittelland public prosecutor’s office.
She sentenced the woman to a fine of 6,000 francs for animal cruelty. Their execution will be postponed subject to a two-year probationary period. However, it is expensive for the offending owner: she has to pay a connection fine of 1,200 francs and fees of 500 francs.
The question remains what happened to the goldfish. As a call to the accused revealed, she had to give her pet to a pet shop on orders from the veterinary office. The native Portuguese has no understanding of this decision or the guilty verdict: “The whole thing is ridiculous. I don’t know for the life of me what I did wrong.” She did not want to comment further on the case.
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2023-11-08 05:19:32
#Animal #cruelty #Bernese #owner #convicted #neglecting #goldfish
