A viral community aquarium in a Brooklyn neighborhood that was paved over by city authorities, has been resurrected by residents – once again drawing criticism from animal rights activists, who say the fish will boil to death in the New York summer heat.
Pictures shared online show a new glass tank containing around a dozen goldfish, which has been planted in a shallow pit next to the pond’s original site, with the project’s co-founder insisting the new attraction still has the backing of the community.
However, the new tank, which was reportedly put up on Saturday, is now at the mercy of a summer heatwave in New York. The mercury is set to sit in the mid-to-high 90s this week and even rose to a scorching 100F (37.7C) on Tuesday.
Gemma Vaughan, PETA’s Captive Animal Case Specialist, told The Independent that the new lodgings for the tiny residents was a “recipe for disaster.” “Certainly the side of the street is, is no place right for for a tank using animals,” she said. “They’re at the mercy of anyone walking by.”
Vaughan highlighted that the tank already appeared cramped and “murky,” indicating the presence of bacteria, and the rising temperatures, both of which would be dangerous for the fish.
“One goldfish requires 25 gallons (of water) and then additional fish requires additional gallons, but they're required to stay between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. So being outside in these high temperatures is certainly contributing to some stress and possibly health risks,” she said.
Last summer PETA described the project as “inhumane” and called for the fish to be liberated.
“There are so many better ways to beautify your neighborhood that don’t involve harming helpless animals,” Kristin Rickman, PETA’s Emergency Response Team Director, said at the time.
“In this current heatwave they most certainly will die. It will be a painful death,” Kathy Nizzari, founder of the animal welfare group Lights Out Coalition, told The New York Post.
The first iteration of the aquarium was shut down by the New York City Fire Department in October, leaving dozens of goldfish dead after the puddle was emptied. The hole was then paved over.
However, the project’s co-founder, Je-Quan Irving, said that the second iteration is up to code and that several city agencies had said the project would be allowed because it was no longer underground.
He and other volunteers plan to continue maintaining the project despite the heat. “I’m just happy they wanted us to keep pushing through and have it come back,” Irving told The Post.
His co-founder, Hajj-Malik Lovick, has since been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison in an unrelated case.
Lovick previously told The Independent “It’s all for the kids. ... And it helps the parents too. If their mom says ‘We’re gonna go see the fish,’ that’s why they get up to go to school.”
He reportedly used the Bed Stuy aquarium as a defense in his case, with his attorney telling the judge the project demonstrated that he was a caring father and community man.
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