Racing goldfish game brings animal rights protest

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) — A racing goldfish game is bringing in customers but animal rights activists want it to stop. People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or  PETA, worries this racing game hurts the goldfish.
     
The fish are the stars of the show -- racing down a gutter filled with water--squirts from a bottle encouraging them toward the finish line.

“Old folks and young folks are racing against each other, and cheering fish, and joking with each other," said Fred Turk, the owner of Coaches Bar and Grille.

PETA says most people don't realize goldfish are sensitive--and that squirt from a bottle feels more like a blast.
     
It's also heard of bar patrons swallowing live fish-and warns about the danger of bacteria. The bar says it's happened just once--and if someone wants to drink a fish--it's their own prerogative.