S. Korea Uses Goldfish to Test G20 Water; PETA Protests

First monkeys are deployed as security guards at the Commonwealth Games in India.

Now, South Korea has turned to a tiny aquatic vertebrate animal to provide security for world leaders at the Group of 20 Summit.

According to AFP, six goldfish will be placed in the G20 restrooms' water supply to ensure purity. Essentially, the goldfish are guinea pigs: if they survive, the water is perfectly safe - and so are world leaders. If not, well...

The bizarre security measure is not sitting well with animal activists, namely the rights group PETA, which is known for its provocative protests and campaigns like trying to re-brand fish as "sea kittens."

"Protecting world leaders is very serious, but so is protecting animals who feel pain just as people do," said PETA's executive vice president, Tracy Reiman.

"There are a variety of modern scientific methods that would better protect world leaders and keep fish from enduring agonizing deaths from contaminated water," she wrote in a letter to South Korean authorities.

It should be noted that South Korea will also have a contingent of thousands of armed police in place.

So is it really necessary to potentially sacrifice goldfish?

A spokesperson for the G20 convention center defended the decision, telling AFP that the fish "symbolize an eco-friendly water policy" with used water recycled for the bathrooms.

Presumably, if the goldfish perish in the bathroom water test, South Korean authorities won't have to travel far to lay them to rest.