This Egyptian cafe offers shisha with living fish and people are outraged

The latest shisha creation in Egypt is flavored with animal abuse and people are rather outraged.

Cairo-based Ta5t Restaurant and Cafe has come under heavy and intense critisism for its bizarre new shisha option, which features a living goldfish inside its water basin.

Speaking to Youm7 newspaper, a visitor of the cafe said workers place the fish inside the basin before handing over the shisha to the customers.

The fish gradually dies after a few puffs, he explained.

The horrific practice was brought to the attention of the public when Egyptian national Salma El-Tabakh shared footage from the cafe on her Facebook account.

"One of the ugliest things I have ever seen in my life," El-Tabakh wrote. 

With the video documenting the practice, her post quickly started to make the rounds on social media, reaching over one million views in two days.

People were quick to accuse the cafe of animal abuse and describe its managers as inhumane and sadistic. They also demanded that the Ministry of Health intervene immediately and take the necessary measures against the cafe.

"Someone please tell me this is not true! This place should shut down."

"You're right. They're just like wood, without blood nor feelings."

"God help me, humanity is dead."

"What is this backwardness? I hope God punishes you like you punished his creation (the fish)."

"Isn't this dangerous for the fish? Such sadistic brains!"

In response to the public outrage, the cafe posted an apology statement on its Facebook page.

In the statement, the cafe apologized for the "unintentional mistake" its management made and said it will no longer be offering the shisha.

The cafe claimed that the fish was put in a small bowl under the shisha for mere decoration. It thus remains unclear whether the fish is actually put in a separate bowl or inside the basin as Youm7's source claimed.

Speaking to Masrawy news site, the cafe's manager said, "It would not be logical for me to put a fish inside the shisha because that would cause a bad taste in the water."

Either way, as some social media users have pointed out, the bowl is considered too small for the fish, even if it were separated from the basin.