AIBU to think that giving goldfish as prizes should be made illegal.

[Lonelylou]

A good friend of mine took her son to the fairground and came home with a goldfish he had won. The poor fish looked sad in its little pot and with my husband being a fish keeper I know they need declorinated water and filtration as tap water is poison to fish. It apparently would cost at least £50 to initialy set up this fish in the manner it should be kept.

My friend thinks that getting a bowl and fish food is adequate care.

Are adults so cruel that they accept these poor creatures when they didn't intend to go out and buy a pet in the first place.

YANBU

I used to love winning goldfish as a child. But, YANBU.

I don't like the fact that people keep fish, birds or creatures in cages.

It isn't illegal as long as there is someone over 16 with the winner. I looked at the Animal Wefare Bill 2006.

Poor fish.

I didnt know they need special water ! I used to have one of these fish in a little tank and i always took care of him and cleaned him out. He did end up with a friend who had a large tank and other fish for him to make fishy friends with after a year or so because i wanted him to be happy.

I thought it was illegal now

I didn't know they needed special water either. I had a goldfish from a fair when I was a child. It had tap water and lived for 8 years. I'd like to think he was happy. He was well cared for.

YANBU to think it should be illegal though as animals shouldn't be shoved in a plastic bag and won.

thought it was illegal too, also this thread seems massively familiar.

You can buy a declorination chemical to put in at your aquatic shop.

I have never posted about this before. Where can I find the other threads DT?

I thought it was alegal too, i havn't seen goldfish at fairs for years, i had one as a child and it did live for years in a fish bowl and then we put it in a pond.

YANBU! It's a travesty that this wasn't included in the Animal Welfare Act.

I went to a fair a couple of years ago and the goldfish were in plastic bags hanging up in the blazing sun. Boiling and their eyes were burning. This is not my idea of entertainment.

Makes me so angry!

I thought it already was?

I've not seen fish at a fair since I was a child.

Sorry Lonelylou wasn't suggesting you had posted about this before. You can do a search for goldfish? I'm not sure, might have dreamt it.

I wonder if they gave other small pets such as hamsters away instead would people be happy to take them home without planning? Apparently that wouldn't be illegal either!

No, it isn't illegal to give goldfish as prizes. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it's an offence to enter into an arrangement with a person reasonably believed to be under 16, who is not accompanied by an adult, whereby an animal is to be won as a prize. So, if there's someone aged 16 or over, it's perfectly legal.

Where are these fairs giving away goldfish?!

My bosses had a fish they won at the fair. he looked sad and i thought he should have a buddy but they decided he was use to the lonely life-he was already a year old when i met them. he lived for a yr and a half-i thought that was a long time but hve just read someones lived for 7 yrs

Oh come on.

We go to a village gala once a year and for the past two years the kids have won a goldfish on the hook-a-duck stall. They're small, pathetic little things when they're stuck in that plastic bag but put them in our garden pond and 3 months later and they're growing by the day.

We've had two and will no doubt get another one next summer

Good that you had a pond to put it in.

Wish you'd buy your fish from a reputable dealer and give your kids another reward rather than a live animal.

We also have 4 from the pet shop but to me getting another two as a prize is really no big deal. They really don't think about it that way as I don't.

Maybe I might think differently if I was a huge animal lover but a fish is really just a fish.

I thought it had stopped I had a fairground goldfish it lived for years 7 I think , they have to be inspected by the council or RSPCA i do know that,

We have three fairground fish. I felt so sorry for the poor things. They have a nice tank appropriate for their size, gravel, live plants, fed everyday, filter, air pump and are thriving. They are all at least 3 years old now. The last one we had lived for 8! If I had the
Space and money I'd try and win more.

YANBU though it should be totally illegal to give them away as prizes.

...and there's the problem WYP.

I'm pleased you got 4 from the pet shop and you obviously know how to look after them.

My argument is that winning one is not the way to get a goldfish. It is a live animal that can suffer distress and pain.

But I guess you're intelligent enough to know that already.

It maybe just a fish but I bet people would be in an uproar if the fair was giving away kittens stuck in little boxes ,