Protesters to Petco: ‘Stop Selling Betta Fish!’
PETA Protest Will Call On Chain to Pull the Plug on Irresponsible Sales of Betta Fish
For Immediate Release:
November 23, 2018
Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382
On Sunday, a group of local PETA supporters will descend on a Petco store in Avondale to protest the notorious pet store chain’s sale of betta fish in tiny plastic containers, which it keeps stacked on top of one another, and its irresponsible promotion of the complex aquatic animals as decorations to “brighten up the office.”
When: Sunday, November 25, 11 a.m.
Where: Petco, 10190 W. McDowell Rd., near the intersection with 103rd Avenue, Avondale
A PETA investigation of the pet trade has revealed that individual bettas are confined to tiny bags in boxes that are stacked in massive wholesale warehouses. The fish are often starved for several days during the transportation process, and many die before and during shipment to retailers, which can take days. In addition, people who buy them are often misled into believing that they should be housed alone, leading to solitary confinement for these fish, who would coexist peacefully with others in the wild.
“Petco customers regularly discover dead, sick, or injured bettas floating in tiny cups of filthy water on the chain’s shelves,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Petco to stop selling these complex animals.”
PETA (whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”) points out that Rite Aid and Walgreens confirmed that they’ll no longer sell Teddy Tanks—stuffed animals that have tiny, barren fish tanks in the middle—and Kimpton Hotels recently ended its “rent-a-fish” program.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
