Whale Sharks in captivity and your opinion.

[AshtonGriffin]

 First off I would like to apologize if this shouldn't be posted. If it violates any terms or rules by all means delete it. I sometimes go back and forth on my stance about placing adolescent whale sharks in captivity. I live two hours south of Atlanta, Georgia, and I make it a point to travel up to the Georgia Aquarium once a quarter. Yet I can't help but wonder what future plans are for when the Whale Sharks mature. I know that some species of fish grow only according to the room that they are given to grow, but I'm not 100% sure if this is true in the case of the whale shark. How ever I've seen the benefits of allowing inner city kids who aren't financial able to view them in the wild. So to me it seems like a give and take, and I can't seem to make up my mind on the matter. I appreciate any input on this matter, and again I hope I'm not stepping on any toes.

Thanks,
Ashton

[leo]

Hi Ashton,

Being in two minds must better then one mind ;-)

My two cents: as my background is in teaching I'd have to say that what we often intend to teach and what people learn can be quite different.

What we learn from hunting for food in the supermarket is that food comes from the supermarket; when we flip a switch the lights come on magically without ever realising that this electricity is generate miles away, heating up 'cooling' water, not to mention that atmosphere; to dispose of our excrement we are trained to flush the toilet, totally oblivious of where it goes after that. We learn the futility of making up our own minds and of self-motivated action.

IMHO what people learn from live animals in museums -of whatever species and on whatever excuse- is that it is OK to treat fellow earth creatures that aren't "us" like throw-away toys is not just OK it serves legitimate purposes like science, education or even just entertainment. And if someone has turned it into a successful business then it MUST be good!

We must not just liberate the endangered animals, plants, etc. we also must liberate ourselves. Free Ralph (too late form him) and Norton, free Alice and Trixie, free Ashton!