S'pore condo drains pond with live fish for cleaning, fish suffocate & die

A condominium in Singapore drained its pond for cleaning while it still contained live fish, suffocating the fish.

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) posted a reel on Facebook on Mar. 25 showing numerous dead fish in the pond.

However, some fish were still alive and flopping about in the dry pond as two workers stood by the side.

Another worker could be seen picking up a fish and tossing it onto the pavement with other fish that were still alive.

Acres stated in their caption that the condominium management made efforts to rehome the red-eared sliders in the pond but left other fish, such as stingrays, tilapia, and plecos, to struggle and suffocate in the drained pond.

It was also noted that the fish were left to struggle and discarded alive under the management's instruction.

"It resulted in [their] slow suffocation and unnecessary suffering," Acres stated.

Fish cruelty

The organisation pointed out that the incident highlighted the broader issue of ornamental fish suffering due to a lack of understanding that fish are sentient beings.

"Research has shown that fish are capable of experiencing stress and feeling pain," Acres cited Naomi Clark-Shen, a specialist in fish conservation and welfare, as saying.

"The government, businesses and general public need to ensure that such unnecessary suffering does not happen again."

Acres added that the incident has since been reported to the National Parks Board (NParks) for further investigation.

Top photos via Acres