Remember that PETA's ultimate goal is that no animal is being kept by humans for any reason, whatsoever. This includes for meat, fur, companionship, work, or any other reason. They don't care that 95% of animals that are being kept by people would probably die if people weren't around to feed them and keep them safe from predators - it's more natural for animals to fend for themselves and probably die painfully than it is for the unnatural state that humans are caring for their needs. PETA would rather animals be dead than be in captivity.
For example... Years ago, the raptor rehabilitation center that I used to volunteer for had PETA activists come in and open all the cages of the permanent resident birds of prey. The permanent residents are permanent residents because they are not releasable. That is, they might be blind, or be missing a wing, or have neurologic disease that makes them unable to hunt. PETA opened all the doors because the birds should have the chance to live or die on their own, rather than staying in captivity, being cared for, and serving as education as to all the reasons, most of which are human-based, that a wild animal might end up injured or ill. A number of the birds were never found, and some of those that were recovered were more seriously injured and had to be euthanized or treated, and all of these birds were systemically healthy (though disabled in some way). The cages, btw, all have locks on them now.
Second, there are fish vets out there. There's not a ton, but they certainly exist. And it is in fact entirely possible to do surgery on fish, as well as take x-rays, do CT scans, do biopsies, diagnose diseases, and treat them in the same manner that other animals can be treated. Yes, it's a little tricker because of their wet requirements, and it's much more difficult on the little guys, but anything that's big enough to hold on to can have veterinary procedures performed on it. My school even offers a fish medicine course, and one of our new exotics faculty specialises in fish medicine (and was a vet at a large aquarium for years) and we're working on developing a fish medicine program.
For example... Years ago, the raptor rehabilitation center that I used to volunteer for had PETA activists come in and open all the cages of the permanent resident birds of prey. The permanent residents are permanent residents because they are not releasable. That is, they might be blind, or be missing a wing, or have neurologic disease that makes them unable to hunt. PETA opened all the doors because the birds should have the chance to live or die on their own, rather than staying in captivity, being cared for, and serving as education as to all the reasons, most of which are human-based, that a wild animal might end up injured or ill. A number of the birds were never found, and some of those that were recovered were more seriously injured and had to be euthanized or treated, and all of these birds were systemically healthy (though disabled in some way). The cages, btw, all have locks on them now.
Second, there are fish vets out there. There's not a ton, but they certainly exist. And it is in fact entirely possible to do surgery on fish, as well as take x-rays, do CT scans, do biopsies, diagnose diseases, and treat them in the same manner that other animals can be treated. Yes, it's a little tricker because of their wet requirements, and it's much more difficult on the little guys, but anything that's big enough to hold on to can have veterinary procedures performed on it. My school even offers a fish medicine course, and one of our new exotics faculty specialises in fish medicine (and was a vet at a large aquarium for years) and we're working on developing a fish medicine program.
