When you go on vacation: don't leave your goldfish in the wild, leave it in a refuge!

With its big eyes, sparkling color and incessant to-ing and fro-ing in its tiny aquarium, the goldfish has all the makings of a cute little animal, a little silly around the edges and totally harmless. However, releasing them into the wild could make them a real danger to the entire ecosystem. We explain.

Abandoning your pet is not allowed and, even for a small goldfish, it's important not to release your fish just anywhere. Whether you're no longer able to care for it, or you want to see it thrive in the wild: beware, you could do great damage by releasing your little finned companion into a lake, pond, river...

What you don't know when you adopt a goldfish is that, in reality, the animal is a long way from its adult size: because of the small aquariums in which it usually evolves (especially the bubbles), the goldfish seems more like prey than predator. However, their adult size can reach up to 30 cm, making your little Bubulle a real predator for other fish. Scientists know the goldfish to be an invasive species, and it is strictly forbidden to release it into the wild (according to article 521-1 of the French penal code): not only could it be eaten by a predator, but above all, it threatens the entire balance of an ecosystem. Goldfish are big eaters with voracious appetites: lacking a stomach, they are constantly on the lookout for something to fill their bellies, even if it means putting their teeth into anything they can find: larvae, other fish eggs, plants, insects...

So, if you have no other solution than to abandon your beloved Bubulle, think about finding him a refuge near you: near Paris, the Maison de la Pêche et de la Nature de Levallois is one! All you need to do is make an appointment (infos@maisonpechenature.fr), fill in a form about your fish and make a donation of €5 (minimum) to cover the transport and feeding costs of the association that will take care of your fish. Your fish will join the aquariums of the Maison de la Pêche et de la Nature before being transferred to ponds in Sologne, where it will spend a happy retirement.

Did you know?

Considering the adult size a goldfish can normally reach (around 30 cm), putting it in a small aquarium, or worse, a ball, is a real torture for the animal. The best thing, according to the Maison de la Pêche et de la Nature, is to let it live in a large aquarium to develop normally, and even better if you add other buddies, as goldfish are gregarious animals that like to live in groups. In France, goldfish are classified as pets and, as such, are protected by the penal code, which prohibits releasing them into the wild or abandoning them. So, as a last resort, think about finding a shelter near you - it's the right thing to do!

When you go on vacation: don't leave your goldfish in the wild, leave it in a refuge!

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