Polish Ecologists Want Better Deal for Xmas Carp
Date: 15-Dec-04
Country: POLAND
In the weeks before Christmas the fish departments of Polish stores are lined with plastic water containers, filled to the brim with live carp.
Customers take home their fish in plastic bags, often without water, and keep them alive for days in the bathtub before killing and cooking them.
"These animals are packed alive in plastic bags, often transported without water and killed in inhumane ways. It's criminal," protest leader Jacek Bozyk told Reuters at an open-air bazaar in Warsaw on Tuesday.
To raise awareness of the carp's cruel treatment, Bozyk's group Gaja is buying the fish from retailers and letting them go in lakes. They are also collecting funds to free the carp.
Poland's traditional Christmas Eve menu includes carp both as an appetiser, often served in gelatine with raisins and nuts, and as the main course.
