Argentina court recognizes two goldfish as sentient beings with rights

 On the facade of a sushi restaurant in a chic Buenos Aires neighborhood, two goldfish in a glass display case would go largely unnoticed apart from the occasional child who would tap against the glass.

One day, someone took a closer look at the tank, which was exposed to the sun and street noise. It would change the fate of the pair of small fish, named Fede and Magui, who were later recognized in an Argentine court as sentient beings that had rights.

“Anyone passing by and stopping to look could see it wasn’t suitable for the fish,” said Matías Trufero, lawyer for the NGO Jaulas Vacías, an anti-speciesism sanctuary that houses more than 200 rescued animals.

He said that’s why Jaulas Vacías (Empty Cages), decided to file a complaint with the courts, arguing that the conditions of these fish violated Law 14.346, which penalizes animal abuse in Argentina.

With the help of specialists, they built a legal case and almost immediately convinced the court to move the fish to a more suitable place.

Trufero, the main promoter of this change, said the restaurant staff did not object to the ruling. CNN has contacted the restaurant for comment.

Having two fish in a glass display case is “more or less the same as putting two polar bears in a cage inside a sauna,” said Carlos José Aga, one of the specialists who helped with the rescue and offered to adopt them.

Magui and Fede were moved from their 40-liter display case and into a 2,500-liter fish tank at Aga’s house. The court ruled that the fish would remain in the care of their adopter.