Abandoned Goldfish Rescued From Culvert In Abergavenny
RSPCA Cymru is appealing for information after rescuing six goldfish from a culvert in Abergavenny.
wo goldfish were rescued by RSPCA Kate Parker on Tuesday, 22 March and then, just a week later, another four were rescued from the same culvert (an entrance to an open drain) at Fosterville Crescent yesterday (30 March).
RSPCA inspector Kate Parker said: “This was a bit of a strange rescue as you don’t expect to see goldfish out of their ponds and in the water system.
“These goldfish could have come from anywhere, so we are appealing for information to try and find out what happened.
“The culvert where they were found is a 12 foot drop so it is unlikely that they were dropped into it. Someone may have just let them loose into the water system upstream.
“So far two lots of goldfish have had to be rescued on two separate occasions. They have all appeared to be healthy.”
The fish were taken to an outdoor pond which belongs to the caller’s friend.
Inspector Parker said: “Very kindly a member of the public is now looking after these goldfish, and we just hope no more appear in this culvert.
“We just urge people to be responsible pet owners and not to put fish into water systems.
“Who knows what could have happened to these fish if they had not been spotted. It is unlikely that they would have survived there.”
Anyone who may have information about these fish should contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018. Calls are treated in confidence.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) it is an offence to release or allow to escape any non-native species into the wild.
If you spot an animal in distress, please call the RSPCA’s 24-hour helpline on 0300 1234 999.
If you would like to help the RSPCA, you can give £3 now by texting HELP to 78866 (text costs £3 + one standard network rate message). We are a charity and rely on public donations to exist.
Know what your goldfish needs:
Make sure you know what space, depth and surface area of water is needed for the number and size of your fish and find out how to acclimatise your fish to their new home. Find out about what food, how often and how much your fish will eat. Avoid overfeeding by giving food little and often.
Goldfish can grow very large (around 20 cm long for fancy varieties and 30cm long for larger breeds) and are long-lived (up to around 30 years). We recommend that young goldfish are kept in at least 60 litres of water per fish, with adults needing more space.
Include plants to promote the growth of aquatic animals for extra food, provide shade and release oxygen in the water for the fish.
Find out which types of fish can live together – double-tailed goldfish are not able to swim as quickly as single-tailed fish so may miss out on food if housed with the single-tailed varieties.
New fish should be housed separately to your other fish for a short period of time so they don’t spread disease.
Get to know your goldfish to help spot signs of something being wrong with the aquarium or the fish being sick or injured – if in doubt, ask your vet and experienced fish keepers for advice.
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