City of Bonn demands proof Chinese ship restaurant owner does not want to relinquish his koi
Beuel · The dispute about the welfare of the koi on the Beueler China ship is causing a stir. The city is demanding a certificate of competence from the restaurant owner and has set a deadline of 11 December.
Huan Fu Zhang is a fighter: "I want to keep my koi. They are doing well. I take good care of them – and I won’t give up my koi pool." The owner of the Chinese restaurant “Ocean Paradise” has received a lot of support and encouragement over the weekend regarding the injunction by the city of Bonn to abandon the fish pool because of the koi's inappropriate welfare. Koi owners from all over Germany have contacted Mr. Zhang and encouraged him and given him tips.
On Monday, Zhang received another letter from the city, setting him a deadline until Wednesday, December 11, by which time he must meet five requirements – including the production of a certificate of expertise. The exact wording of the letter is: “You have to provide proof of competence that you have acquired the necessary knowledge and expertise for keeping koi. This certificate of competence is necessary because you were unable to answer the most basic questions during the inspection of your koi facility.” The Chinese restaurant owner then called in the Beuel lawyer Werner Koch, who will now send the city a statement from his client.
The city councillor Reiner Burgunder, whom Zhang asked for support at the end of last week, told the GA on Monday that “the city of Bonn rightly investigated the complaint of a restaurant visitor. However, the city does not seem to have any expertise in this matter. Apparently, the statements of many fish keepers suggest that this is the case. Instead of imposing conditions on Mr Zhang, the city would have done better to clarify the matter. This is now being done by a circle of friends who support Mr Zhang.”
The second letter from the city of Bonn states further: “In order to avoid pain, suffering and damage until the relocation of the koi, at least appropriate and sufficient food should be provided, as well as suitable water parameters. For this a suitable filter system must be provided and water samples must be examined and documented regularly. In case of deviations from the optimum values, corrective measures must be taken immediately and demonstrated. For this purpose, the person responsible must have a minimum level of expertise with regard to the keeping of koi, which must also be proven to the veterinary authority by suitable documentation."
Koi breeder Benjamin Harms from Hamburg contacted Reiner Burgunder by e-mail and expressed his astonishment that the city of Bonn insists on the observance of these guidelines. In his view, no set of rules exists that makes clear statements concerning koi." Robert Jungnischke, koi-keeping expert at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Cologne, told the GA on Monday: "There are no regulations for the keeping of koi.” If anything, there is only advice from experienced koi breeders, but these tips mostly refer to pond keeping. “Ultimately, the decisive factor is the assessment of the pool on site and the classification of whether the carp are happy.”
If Zhang does not fulfil the conditions of the city of Bonn by the 11 December, he can count on receiving a writ under threat of a fine.
(Original text; Holger Willcke, translation John Chandler)
