Berkeley Teen Named Hero By PETA

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley teenager Simone Stevens has received a Hero to Animals Award from peta2, PETA's youth division, for proposing and helping to pass a citywide ordinance banning the use of live fish as prizes at fairs and carnivals.

The dedicated vegan was appalled by a peta2 blog post that detailed how goldfish used as prizes were given away without care instructions, thrown away by some winners, and end up in a cramped bowl where many die within days. According to PETA, people often put fish in untreated tap water that contains chlorine, which burns their gills and causes them to suffer and slowly die from suffocation.

"peta2 is recognizing Simone Stevens for her compassionate action and huge accomplishment in protecting sensitive fish from being handed out like trinkets," says peta2 Senior Director Marta Holmberg. "She is proof that the younger generation is passionate, informed, and driven to make the world a more considerate place for all animals."

Stevens received a framed certificate and is featured on peta2's website.

-Images used by permission of peta2