Tattooed Goldfish -- Artistic Novelty Or Blatant Form of Animal Cruelty?

No matter what cultural group you belong to, human beings are by nature attracted to the more unusual things in life.

Whether the things that capture our gaze are naturally occurring (as is the case with these rare pink grasshoppers) or achieved through man-made means (as with these living sculptural tree furnishings) we are instinctually drawn to the extraordinary.

Tattoos are one of those things that people have gravitated toward well before we even created precise ink delivery systems and while it's one thing to submit our own epidermis canvases to the permanent form of art, it seems really surprising that pigs have been dragged into the mix.

Of course, pig tattoos seem like childs play compared to the latest Chinese trend of laser-tattooing pet goldfish with floral patterns or good luck characters that represent everything from wealth and longevity to happiness.

I have no idea if this practice causes pain to the goldfish, but somehow, I really don't think that their welfare is taken into consideration because it has become far too lucrative, depending on the choice of design that the customer selects.

How lucrative? The inked fish were formerly priced at about $3 US dollars a piece (20 yuan) but now, they are close to $15 US dollars each (100 yuan) .

 At what point does novelty and art cross the line into animal cruelty?