Rome bans goldfish bowls

Rome has banned goldfish bowls and has made regular dog walking mandatory.

Under a new by-law, round fish bowls were banned along with fish and other creatures being given away for fairground prizes. The moves came after a national law was passed to allow jail sentences for people who abandon cats or dogs.

Rome's Il Messaggero newspaper reported round bowls caused fish to go blind. No one at Rome council was available to confirm this was why they were banned however, many experts said round bowls provided insufficient oxygen for fish.

In July 2004, parliament passed a law setting big fines and jail terms for people who abandoned pets. Since then local governments have added their own animal welfare rules, many of which will be difficult to police.

The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to fine pet owners up to 500 euro if they did not walk their dogs at least three times a week.

The new Rome by-law required owners to regularly exercise their dogs and banned them from docking their pets' tails for aesthetic reasons.

It also provided legal recognition for cat lovers who provided food for the colonies of strays which lived everywhere from the city's ancient Roman ruins to modern office car parks.

Animal rights groups estimated about 150,000 pet dogs and 200,000 cats were abandoned in Italy every year Reuters reports.

V.Y.