Goldfish Keyring with Live Goldfish
China doesn’t have the best record when it comes to animal rights and this latest “shocking” abuse further proves the point.
In waterfront Qingdao, vendors were selling heart shaped plastic keychains sealed with a live goldfish inside. Since the keychains are completely sealed there is very little air and no way to feed the fish inside.
“The fish would survive just a few hours, and would be lucky to make it from the manufacturers to the point of sale. We are shocked and appalled. It is a gimmick and shows no respect for the animals at all.”
One of the 2008 Olympics mascot HuanHuan was printed on the bag and although it is not an official Olympic item, it just goes to shows a complete lack of respect for all the fish who will die in these keychains.
(link)
Aww…poor little fish…
what to do? chinese ppl is in abundance, even in their own country. because of that, they don’t even have respect for human life, what more do you expect them to take a little gold fish life seriously??!!!
*ai..*
this is NOT right and should not be tolerated by the participants of the Beijing Olympics. In fact, what we as a united nation should do is actively protest against such inhumane, disgraceful and outrageous violation of animals rights!! Here is Australia, we take pride in community organisations such as the RSPCA and yet we are merely bystanders in this shameful event.
It is the time to act!!!!!!
The Australian Olympics Committe along with the IOC should ban China’s animal rights breach!!!
I saw similar things in Australia and some European countries as well. Just because they are not being reported does not mean such things don’t exist in these countries.
What will they think of next? Sheesh.
wooww…i wanna buy it
Me too!
But only too free the poor little fish!!
Bubblefish!
This practice may not be illegal in China but it’s undoubtedly morally offensive, especially for a society that boasts of being civilized for millennia. How the authorities react to the bad press should be interesting.
maybe it was meant to be a temporary storage unit and you open the bag when you get home… in your fish tank
I Thought You Bring it Home and cut it open and put it in your fish tank
That’s true - but it’s only feeding the company that sells it. They obviously don’t care about the fish, and as long as people purchase the product (regardless of intent) they will continue to make this product. The only way to stop it would be to boycott this.
its not like they dont do this in the west.. all you people are just racist fools
That is cruel … p00r fishies
Maybe it’s another facet of China’s population control effort. How d’ya suppose they’ll deal with large barnyard animals?
I just shake my head and wonder if this is worse than the atrocities our own government is committing ah water-boarding
I wonder why would people want to buy that anyway.
The fish will probably die and then you’ll have dead-fish-in-a-keychain that will like rot and smell?
Dunno what the Chinese Chinese are thinking.
MMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNSTEEEEEERRRRRRS
The Olympics were already retarded but this ………….
No kidding, that’s no way to treat a fish! The way to treat a fish is to slice it alive and eat it while it’s gills are still pumping with wasabi and rice. Yum!
LOL
inhumane, is what it is.
I mean Its Neat if a FAKE FISH WERE IN THERE
Urgh. Even though I agree that that is inhumane and cruel, maybe the real purpose is to carry the fish back and put it into your fishtank. Why else would you want a dead stinking fish in a keychain?
~t
China should have never been chosen as a host for the Olympics. It is a barbaric, backward country — just look at all their interests in the Sudan and how they are furthering the genocide in Darfur…it is a shame on the world to let them host this event.
People like you are a prime example of the xenophobia and utter ignorance that plauge the West with your ethnocentric values and misunderstanding of foreigners. Yes, China does some pretty bad things, but you act as though the West is a paragon of justice and civilized living. Anyone who thinks that deserves to be dragged into the streets and shot. Or maybe waterboarded, the same heinous torture technique widely practiced by the AMERICAN government.
Lets look at some things here
In the Beijing open air markets:
- Snakes are cut open, alive, the blood drained and drunk for the ‘vitality’ it offers, then the still dying snake is cut up for stewing.
- Live chickens are regularly sold, put into paper bags which are stapled shut, then the paper bag is banged onto a counter hard. This does not neccesarily kill the chicken, which is usually mortally wounded. The bag is then handed over.
- Turtles (soft shell, generally) are broken open alive to show how fresh and good the meat is. These live turtles are left out for show.
Now, I know it’s another culture, but I saw the same things over and over again. It’s a common theme in China, especially with pets and food.
In preparation for the Olympic games, for example, the government is killing all the stray (and some nonstray) cats and dogs in Beijing. Many of these are simply rounded up and dumped (alive but terribly injured, some into compactors at refuse dumps). It has been widely reported in the news.
Don’t get me wrong. I eat meat, and quite happily so. However, I also believe in a humane and ethical treatment of animals. Especially those we consume.
My $.02
Its funny how all us meat eaters think because we live in a western society, the meat we eat is humane? Have you seen what happens at piggerys and slaughterhouses?
Have you seen the conditions our chickens live in while producing eggs? Beaks cut off and no room to even stand up?
Piglets torn from their mothers at birth, genitals cut out with a blade then living in their own filth and other dead pigs until its finally time to die?
I mean I eat meat too don’t get me wrong. But the shit that goes down over here is pretty sickening too.
where as in the west, you inject your livestock with hormones, slaughter them weeks after they are born, and throw away 20% of their edible content for the sake of efficient processing.
hey, Im an asian, NOT chinese, and I totally agree with kathy’s original post. just take a look at news from China everyday. no human rights, organ transplants from LIVE condemned criminals,poor food hygiene, weird epidemics.. China shouldnt have been chosen as a host for the Olympics at least 200 more years… seriously.
Well that’s too bad, isn’t it? They were chosen. Get over yourselves for being raised in the west and being taught hypocritical thoughts on morality. In a society where it’s all do or die, which would you honestly choose?
bad people….
*gasp* can you imagine how much plastic they are going to waste when people don’t recycle that after the fish dies? goodness gracious, that’s irresponsible.
The idea is that you take it home, on your keychain, throw it in the microwave & MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm! Poached Goldfish!
this is probably being misrepresented in order to stir up controversy. the chinese government may make bad choices (like a lot of governments) but chinese people are just human beings like you and i. they are not stupid — and they would not create a product that would not survive shipping to retailers.
it looks like the pouch was heat sealed at the top with a little handheld sealer. this is probably from a pet shop and it’s probably a new gimmick for quick transport of your small fish purchases to your home aquarium. in that capacity, it might work quite well. the plastic looks sturdy and it will stay close to you until you get home. plus it’s kinda cute for about an hour.
I’m afraid not. It’s a toy, somewhat misguided. I wish I could say it was just to transport your cute fishy home…
*sigh*
The photo is a fake.
Thinks its a good sales technique for the vendor! All the animal lovers buy them, and let them go! Anything other then that, I think that’s horrible.
These are not fake. I saw them in Beijing. And they are not sold by pet stores. They were sold by street vendors, the same kind that sell fake watches and other contraband Olympics merchandise.
I think that if it were openable,it would actually be interesting,can’t ALWAYS blame chinese,we in the west got bad stuff too.Scissors would be nice in that package to cut it open and set the fishy free.
I want a kitten keychain!
dont give them any ideas
Sorry, no kittens running around.
All the extra tourists for the Olympics have increased demand for Chinese Food so much that they’ve had to fly in cats from other countries.
The fish dies in a few hours… what have you got in there a few months later?? Somebody call Pam Anderson.
What I want to know is: why does the image of “2008 Olympics mascot HuanHuan” remind me of “Hello Kitty Meets Heat Miser?”
looks kinda cute, but why dont they use a toy fish instead?
This is peanuts compared to the operation of the meat industry in the US. It’s just a goldfish. You can buy them in the USA for like, 25 cents to a dollar a piece.
This is different, but there are far more cruel things happening out there.
Stop getting your knickers in a twist.
Exactly.
Goldfish deserve to die a horrible death. They’ve have it easy for way too long. Go China!!!!!!!
next itll be babies in a keychain… they have tons of those too
You xenophobic, ignorant, arrogant, oblivious people - how can you compare the Chinese government to the entire population? Surely, some laws are loose and many human and animals rights have been broken, but they’re catching up. The government is trying their best to win your approval - but have you even thought about the faults of your own country? Do you think that the vendors would also let them die maliciously? No - I’ve been to Beijing, they cut open the bags after 3 hours and dump them in a water bowl - they don’t want their own merchandise to perish. Basic Marketing and Logic. Also, how can you refer the whole country as barbaric and backwards when Western countries throw petty fits over some stupid controversy? Shouldn’t you - the bystander - take action? Oh, are you so impaired that you can’t even make a phone call to an animal’s rights watch group - or are you too busy?
Slanderous fools, I hope you realize the irony in what you say.
Oh please. Get off your moral high horse, people. It’s just a stinkin’ stupid little fish. Furthermore, like Mr.B said, people should take a closer look at what is happening at home (USA) before judging others.
This is what I cannot stand about Americans. We think of ourselves as better than everyone else when we are in fact just as bad. A nation of hypocrites. Though, I suppose this applies to every country as well…
just a stupid little fish? it’s a living thing. wow.. just because we dont understand fish and fish arent intelligent in the same way we are, doesnt mean that they are any less of a life form.
and it certainly doesnt mean that it is okay to torture them, especially for money.
this is just ridiculous.
atleast the meat were torturing and killing is going in our stomachs for the most part. its still disgusting how those animals are treated before they die here, but..
these goldfish keychains are NOT for food. they are for a little toy, to hang on your bag and get tossed around as you walk.
BTW, goldfish get atleast a foot long when they have adequate space to grow… the species in the keychain atleast.
this is disgusting.. it gives china an even worse rep with animals and inhumane treatment.
This is what I cannot stand about Americans. We think of ourselves as better than everyone else when we are in fact just as bad. A nation of hypocrites. Though, I suppose this applies to every country as well…
I’m sure it does happen in every country to some degree, it is our human nature. But the USA does seem to be particularly good at it.
lol this I don’t know whats funnier, the keychains, or the people shedding tears over a goldfish.
There is no need to bash China as a nation for being “inhumane,” people. Of course, this act is wrong, but there are many practices elsewhere that may be far worse to animals. For example, there are people who put kittens in jars and have then grow up in them, where they cannot move. You may say, it’s different because this practice is illegal, whereas some “inhumane” act against animals aren’t illegal in China. Well, what about testing animals for cosmetics and other products? That sure is legal. And the companies who do it sure don’t give a damn what happens to animals. If anything, we must blame the individuals or the companies who are selling these fish.
Cruelty to animals is terrible, yes. But why aren’t you all crying for the many thousands of babies and children that are tortured, starved to death, allowed to die of curable diseases, and murdered by their own parents every day? Just because you don’t want to think about it? Sad.
the US aint perfect. but we’re sure as heck more comfy for than most other countries. Imagine being forced to have an abortion? That’s happening in China’s cities. It’s not just fish and other animals they’re slaughtering.
Great Idea !! I want a keychain like that !!
Haha…I going to any article that is negative about China and then counting how many crazed Chinese people try to make explanations/fight off everyone else.
Lets try one of them in a bag with a key chain - see what they feel like and how long they last - What a shame from one of the so called super powers. I hope people vote with their feet and do not buy any products made by the company. Well that is CHINA for you……
อีบ้า ชอบทรมานสัตว์ ไม่กลัวบาปกรรมหรือไง you know!
dear god that’s wrong. wronger than wrongedy wrong wrong.
I saw a guy selling these up here in Harbin, I asked him and asked around and as I hear they live for a few months, something in the water or something, but no idea really.
um… sorry but they’re goldfish. they won’t be endangered anytime soon so that’s one lack of cause for worry… another is that caring owners, such as myself, buy these little buggers as feed for our bigger fish. so.. they’re kind of dead anyways.
find something worthy as a cause for concern!