- Joined
- Dec 17, 2002
- Messages
- 20
All,
I understand everyone's concern about this animal, but try to keep it in perspective - it is a single INDIVIUAL. Huge numbers of these are trapped and then sold as shells in the Philippines (or used to be before the populations crashed). I'm much more concerned about the bigger issue of selling live animals on EBay. Animal auctions are all fatally flawed because the person getting the animal is the one who pays the most for it, not always the one who can care for it properly. I've even see this at the aquarium club level - you know, fish clubs that get together and hold auctions once a year. At the end of the day you see bags of baby cichlids being sold for $1 for use as piranha food.
It is against the code of ethics for any member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to allow one of their animals to enter an animal auction. It is not open to discussion. In fact, there are severe penalties for anyone who allows this - loss of membership and acreditation being two possibilities.
I feel animal auctions are a major problem - in all other cases of transfering ownership of an animal, the seller works directly with the buyer and can decide for themselves to complete the sale or not. When you lose that control and oversight, problems can and do ocurr. EBay recognized this, and developed rules against it, but then somehow allowed "fish" to be exempt. Perhaps 'cause as we all know, "fish ain't animals". Then, when you combine an animal auction with shipping live animals via overnight service by people who aren't experienced at it - well, the results are simply untenable.
JHemdal
I understand everyone's concern about this animal, but try to keep it in perspective - it is a single INDIVIUAL. Huge numbers of these are trapped and then sold as shells in the Philippines (or used to be before the populations crashed). I'm much more concerned about the bigger issue of selling live animals on EBay. Animal auctions are all fatally flawed because the person getting the animal is the one who pays the most for it, not always the one who can care for it properly. I've even see this at the aquarium club level - you know, fish clubs that get together and hold auctions once a year. At the end of the day you see bags of baby cichlids being sold for $1 for use as piranha food.
It is against the code of ethics for any member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to allow one of their animals to enter an animal auction. It is not open to discussion. In fact, there are severe penalties for anyone who allows this - loss of membership and acreditation being two possibilities.
I feel animal auctions are a major problem - in all other cases of transfering ownership of an animal, the seller works directly with the buyer and can decide for themselves to complete the sale or not. When you lose that control and oversight, problems can and do ocurr. EBay recognized this, and developed rules against it, but then somehow allowed "fish" to be exempt. Perhaps 'cause as we all know, "fish ain't animals". Then, when you combine an animal auction with shipping live animals via overnight service by people who aren't experienced at it - well, the results are simply untenable.
JHemdal