The latest craze in China: Buy fish tattooed

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Increase customers requesting copies on their backs with ideograms that mean "love", "happiness" or "fortune." Animal rights advocates say is a cruel eccentricity

The tattoo fashion in China is primed with the defenseless parrot fish, a pet cheap price increases which the laser engraving in his back flowers or Chinese characters for fortune, a technique cruel as the animal lovers.

In the market of flowers and Pekingese Laitai animals, two of the twenty positions of animals sold fish tattooed with flowers, a technique to attract superstitious buyers also are attracted by displaying on their backs the Chinese characters for "love "," happiness "," fortune "or" longevity. "

The business owner says they are not those who get tattoos, but that's imported from Taiwan already decorated, but would not elaborate on the controversial issue.

However, the owner of a nearby store, Ruili Wang says that it is a cruelty that goes against all ethics: "I do not sell these fish. These tattoos are made with a laser, is very cruel to hurt the fish" states in the interior of your pet store, "Golden Fish Culture quintessence of China."

According to Wang, the fish "are living beings, like humans, and tattooed the back is" a lack of respect towards life, also takes to earn more money ", since this species is very cheap.

However, until the owner recognizes that there are customers who buy these fish curious engraved with flowers, hearts or phrases of good luck as "Gongxian Facai" ("Happy New Year" to get more attention at the time of sale.

For example, a copy of parrot fish tattooed with a flower can cost about 40 yuan (6 U.S. dollars or 4.3 euros), well above its value, compared to 170 ($ 25.8) which costs a couple of fish gold, symbol of good luck or marriage in China.

Vendors say the fish tattoo fashion started in Taiwan and was imported to China a few years ago, where he became popular as a result of a belief that identifies the fish to prosperity, because its pronunciation is similar in Chinese, and the fertility, the large number of offspring they have.

The Chinese buy fish for several reasons, principally as a pet, but also by the "Feng Shui" or Chinese geomancy, an aesthetic discipline that plays with the five elements recommended by canals and ponds placed in certain locations to attract good fortune.

The tattooed parrot fish was "full of ink stick needles in their skin is very sensitive, so that an inflammatory response to the ink and needle trauma, causing pain for several days until it heals" said Kati Loeffler, expert of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in China.

In a country where pets are growing in parallel with its development, it is necessary to know that "fish are not pets like dogs or cats, which can be played without problem. In fact, suffer great stress when are tattooed, "he concluded.

http://www.cronica.com.ar/diario/2011/03/15/1238-la-ultima-moda-en-china-comprar-peces-tatuados.html source