Six goldfish swam in two straight lines, turned left and right, and paraded in a glass tank as a magician blew a whistle to "command" them.

Goldfish swim in perfect unison, apparently following the command of magician Fu Yandong at the China Central Television New Year's Eve gala show in Beijing on Feb 2. [Photo/provided to China Daily]

It had all the precision of a military drill. And it was a sensation, as expected, when China Central Television broadcast it live on Feb 2 as part of the Spring Festival gala show.

What was not expected, however, was that within days imitators of magician Fu Yandong posted their experiments with goldfish online. Public criticism surged as people speculated that these amateurs had mistreated the fish, with metal and magnets, instead of actually training them.

Animal protection groups fear that the "trick" endangers fish, and are demanding legislation to ban domestic animal abuse in China. On Monday, 53 groups issued a joint call to CCTV to drop similar acts on television shows.

CCTV agreed, and canceled Fu's scheduled appearance on Thursday night on its Lantern Festival show. However, Hunan Television booked a performance by Fu on its station.

The owner of the performing goldfish, Fu Yandong, is 35 and represents the fourth generation in a family of magicians. His father, Fu Tenglong, is considered the "King of Magic" in China.

The younger Fu would not reveal the secrets of his magic, but his agent, Liang Ming, said Fu's fish were not harmed and "are living happily".

"We've heard that some people tried to imitate our goldfish trick, but they did it the wrong way," Liang said. "Mr Fu just wants to tell those imitators to stop trying."

Song Dian, director in charge of Hunan TV's Lantern Festival show, declined to comment on Fu's performance on the Spring Festival show, but he promised: "In our show the act will be done only when it does not hurt the fish."

Song did not say how the safety of the fish would be secured.

The protectors

China has no laws to punish abuse of goldfish or other pets, livestock or experimental animals. The Law on the Protection of Wild Animals, passed in 1988, does not cover domestic animals.

That lack of legal protection makes it more important that the media be aware of the ethical treatment of animals, according to animal protection campaigners. The letter signed by the 53 organizations asked CCTV to have a third-party expert review performances to determine the risks of animal abuse, and then to ban any programs that may harm animals. At least, the groups said, broadcasters should put on a "do not imitate" label on the screen when broadcasting an animal act.

Even without a specific animal protection law, the goldfish trick still violates the fundamentals of regulations on animal welfare in China, said Qin Xiaona, director of Beijing-based Capital Animal Welfare Association.

She was referring to a ban on live animal shows in zoos issued last year by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. "That regulation actually suggests we humans should not base our entertainment on causing pain to animals," Qin said.

Liu Huili, a fellow researcher at Da'erwen Nature Association, a Beijing-based NGO that co-authored the letter, said animal performances in some nations are allowed only after experts confirm the performance is not harmful to animals.

"We should try to keep an eye on it," Liu said. "In large parties or ceremonies, people should be reminded of the idea that animals are friends of human beings and need to be protected."