Friday, July 18, 2008
CSI Aquarium
Last month I had read an article about how PETA had taken legal action against a film or television production company. The crime was having a goldfish in a goldfish bowl completely devoid of anything aside from the fish itself, water and probably some goldfish poo. The article went on to explain that this was wrong since there was no place for the fish to hide and there was no stimulus to keep the fish occupied. I rasied my eyebrows and thought little of it until I was having a glass of wine in my dining room and looked at our goldfish, Mr Patel.
Mr Patel has lived in a minimalist goldfish tank for over 5 years. He is a big lively fish whom we fed twice a day. Doubt began to set in abour Mr Patel's quality of life as I reflected upon that article. Perhaps he was desperately lonely and bored shitless.
I resolved to find him some goldfish furnishings and a companion. I bicycled down to the local pet store and picked him up am even larger tank, a day glo colour automobile with big passages to hide or swim through, a small rock bridge, freshwater filter and a little friend we named Mr Saito.
Mr Patel didn't really seem to notice his new digs,my interior decorating skills with the fish furnishings or Mr Saito. Then a week later I came down to find Mr Patel stuck in his car. I panicked and got my husband who swiftly performed a heroic rescue. Mr Patel was a bit bashed up but appeared to be recovering slowly. I went and got him some fish medicine at the pet store and we took the car out of the tank joking that he;d been in a car accident. About three days after that my husband informed me that he found a very dead Mr Patel under the rocky bridge.
I was sad about his unfortunate end though my husband and I can't help but wonder if it was in fact suicide on Mr Patel's part and we unknowingly provided the tools like some aquatic Dr Kevorkian. Maybe Mr Patel just never got the hang of judging small spaces due to his sheltered life in the minimalist tank. Either way I feel compelled to blame PETA.
