Fortis Hospital Promptly Removes Live Fish from Decorations Following PETA India’s Appeal
After receiving complaints and distressing videos from patients and visitors to Fortis Hospital in Anandpur, Kolkata, adorning its premises with live fish imprisoned in small, unfiltered containers, some already dead and others visibly struggling to survive, PETA India promptly contacted the hospital to reconsider displaying these intelligent and social animals in violation of India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, which explicitly prohibits confining animals in spaces that restrict their natural movement. The hospital’s Vice President of Company Secretary and Compliance, Satyender Chauhan, confirmed that immediate action was taken in response to the letter.
PETA India, in its letter, highlighted that exhibiting, installing, and displaying fish in tiny, inadequate bowls in rooms for patients contravenes Section 3 of the PCA Act, 1960, which obligates the person responsible for an animal to ensure their well-being and prevent unnecessary pain and suffering, and Section 11(1) which enlists acts or omissions that amount to cruelty and are punishable. Additionally, keeping fish in tiny containers, without filtration and oxygen supply, can result in the death of fish and thus can be interpreted as an attempt to commit the offence of killing, which is punishable under Section 325 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sahinta, 2023.
The letter also noted that keeping fish and other marine animals accustomed to swimming freely in vast water bodies, confined in inadequate conditions—such as tiny containers without filtration or enrichment— not only deprives them of necessities like oxygen and space, leading to immense suffering and premature death but is also a potential health risk as stagnant water in unfiltered containers can spread bacteria and disease which is particularly alarming in a healthcare setting where maintaining a sterile environment is paramount and any compromise could affect patient care.
Fish are smart, social animals with unique personalities, and just like dogs, cats, and humans, they feel pain. Dr Lynne Sneddon et al., the first to discover nociceptors (pain receptors) in fish, stated: “that fish demonstrate pain-related changes in physiology and behaviour and show higher brain activity when painfully stimulated.” Dr. Culum Brown, a Macquarie University biologist who is studying the evolution of cognition in fish, says “Fish are more intelligent than they appear. In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers match or exceed those of ‘higher’ vertebrates including non-human primates.”
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