Infamous New York City sidewalk aquarium is back but heat wave sparks concerns fish will boil
Pictures shared online show a new glass tank containing around a dozen goldfish, which has been planted in a shallow pit next to the pond's original site, with the project's co-founder insisting the new attraction still has the backing of the community.
However, the new tank, which was reportedly put up on Saturday, is now at the mercy of a summer heatwave in New York. The mercury is set to sit in the mid-to-high 90s this week and even rose to a scorching 100F (37.7C) on Tuesday.
'This project continues to be an inappropriate way to house fish,' aquatic veterinarian Benjamin Rosenbloom told The New York Post. 'I suspect on some level it may be a grift for donations and/or attention. At the very least, it is not acceptable for the welfare of the animals housed there.'
Rosenbloom added that due to the size of the aquarium, over-exposure to sunlight could result in water temperatures that could kill the fish.
'In this current heatwave they most certainly will die. It will be a painful death,' said Kathy Nizzari, founder of the animal welfare group Lights Out Coalition, told The Post.
The Independent has emailed PETA for comment. The organization said last summer that the project was 'inhumane' and called for the fish to be liberated.
'There are so many better ways to beautify your neighborhood that don't involve harming helpless animals,' Kristin Rickman, PETA's Emergency Response Team Director, said at the time.
The first iteration of the aquarium was shut down by the New York City Fire Department in October, leaving dozens of goldfish dead after the puddle was emptied. The hole was then paved over.
However, the project's co-founder, Je-Quan Irving, said that the second iteration is up to code and that several city agencies had said the project would be allowed because it was no longer underground.
He and other volunteers plan to continue maintaining the project despite the heat. 'I'm just happy they wanted us to keep pushing through and have it come back,' Irving told The Post.
His co-founder, Hajj-Malik Lovick, has since been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison in an unrelated case.
Lovick previously told The Independent 'It's all for the kids. ... And it helps the parents too. If their mom says 'We're gonna go see the fish,' that's why they get up to go to school.'
He reportedly used the Bed Stuy aquarium as a defense in his case, with his attorney telling the judge the project demonstrated that he was a caring father and community man.
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