Posted on 10/31/2005 4:29:41 AM PST by yankeedame
Rome bans goldfish bowls
From: Reuters From correspondents in Rome
October 26, 2005
ROME has banned goldfish bowls, which animal rights activists said are cruel, and has made regular dog walking mandatory, the city council said.
Under a new by-law, round fish bowls were banned along with fish and other creatures being given away for fairground prizes. The moves came after a national law was passed to allow jail sentences for people who abandon cats or dogs.
"It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," said Monica Cirinna, the councillor behind the by-law.
"The civilisation of a city can also be measured by this," she told Rome's Il Messaggero newspaper.
The newspaper reported round bowls caused fish to go blind. No one at Rome council was available to confirm this was why they were banned however, many experts said round bowls provided insufficient oxygen for fish.
Advertisement: In July 2004, parliament passed a law setting big fines and jail terms for people who abandoned pets. Since then local governments have added their own animal welfare rules, many of which will be difficult to police.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to fine pet owners up to 500 euro ($821.69) if they did not walk their dogs at least three times a week.
The new Rome by-law required owners to regularly exercise their dogs and banned them from docking their pets' tails for aesthetic reasons.
It also provided legal recognition for cat lovers who provided food for the colonies of strays which lived everywhere from the city's ancient Roman ruins to modern office car parks.
Animal rights groups estimated about 150,000 pet dogs and 200,000 cats were abandoned in Italy every year
Goldfish have no memory, so how are bowls cruel?
Wonder how they're doing over there with teen pregnancy, rape, murder, divorce....you know, boring every day stuff. Meanwhile, as Rome burns....
Peel me a grape.
What do square containers do to the fish?
Probably because he's going around in circles!
Even the yappy little curs that dash about the house night and day?
.....:)
Rome bans goldfisf bowls, British Banks ban Piggy Banks, What next????????? Germans banning Sausages?.......
Who knows, they may have already done that, near mosques in Germany. And Germany has mosques everywhere!
Hahahahahaha - you can't make this stuff up!
Note to self: go to Walmart and get a goldfish and a bowl.
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