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 — and it changed the fate of the pair of small fish, named Fede and Magui. “Anyone passing by and stopping to look could see it wasn’t suitable for the fish,” said Matías Trufero, an attorney for Jaulas Vacías, an ethical sanctuary that houses more than 200 rescued animals. The organization decided to file a lawsuit, arguing that conditions of the fish violated the law that prohibits animal abuse. "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 the fish. Magui and Fede were moved from their 10-gallon display case and into a 660-gallon fish tank at Aga’s house. The court ruled that the fish are “sentient beings” — meaning they’re capable of feelings — under the law and become beings with rights. The court specified that it’s not illegal to keep fish in a fish tank, but it is illegal to keep them in conditions that cause mistreatment or cruelty. In the end, the court ruled that Magui and Fede would remain in the care of their adopter.
