Influx of calls about goldfish being eaten as part of drinking ‘game’
There has been a spike of calls to the charity in the last week all describing videos of people drinking a shot of alcohol with a fish inside.
The incidents appear to be part of new craze called ‘Neknominating’, involving people filming themselves ‘necking’ alcohol, then nominating a friend to do the same – egging each other on to do more extreme and outlandish feats each time.
RSPCA wildlife scientist Nicola White said: “We are extremely concerned about this shocking new trend. We have had quite a few similar cases reported to us in a very short space of time – but this could be just the tip of the iceberg as there’s probably many more we have not been told about.
“Eating a live animal and posting of a film of it on the internet is not some light-hearted joke – it is unacceptable. It sends out a clear message that animal cruelty is ok as long as it is in the guise of entertainment.
“We urge people not to take part in this horrible craze and to report to us anyone who is taking part.”
There have been at least 14 calls to the RSPCA about ‘Neknominating’ footage involving swallowing live fish – three calls yesterday, four on Monday and a few more over the weekend- all on a similar theme.
Eating live fish is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act, and the RSPCA are investigating several of the cases which have been referred to us. Because of this we are unable to go into detail of individual cases until more is known.
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