NYC residents rally to keep goldfish swimming in hydrant puddle through winter as activists call it animal abuse

"I've said this before and will repeat it again: keeping these fish in a sidewalk puddle is animal cruelty and should be addressed as such," veterinarian Benjamin Rosenbloom, founder of New York City-based Wet Pet Vet, told The Post Wednesday.

"It's difficult to say how long they might survive as goldfish are quite hearty, but they will not be thriving under these conditions," Rosenbloom said.

"Assuming the water continues to flow into the puddle, it will be chlorinated water, which is toxic to fish. If the city shuts it off, as they've already done I believe, the fish will produce too much waste, which they will have to live in without filtration," Rosenbloom explained.

Bed-Stuy resident Hajj Malik-Lovick - who bought the goldfish from a nearby pet store earlier this month - told The Post he's now crowdfunding plexiglass and a filtration system for $5,000 through GoFundMe to protect the fish as the weather cools down.

Read at New York Post