GA aquarium

July 13, 2006

hi carrol. i don't have the specific information you are looking for but as

a vegan also for every reason you can think of, i've come across this same

situation many times (zoos and aquariums) and ultimately my decision has

always had to be against attending these places. regardless of whether a

zoo or aquarium environment is " humane, " it's still an artificial, forced

environment. as for whales, they are incredibly social creatures whose

terrain in the ocean covers several thousand miles. there is no such thing,

in my opinion, as a " humane " environment for a whale (or a shark, for that

matter) outside of its natural home. and as for whether zoos and aquariums

really promote or enforce conservation on a realistic scale, i have yet to

see true evidence of this in the extensive research i've done. although

they do a fair job of educating the public about conservation efforts made

by OTHER communities, most zoos and aquariums are primarily devoted to

" protecting " only exotic creatures (who attract the most money), and it is

simply impossible to recreate a true environment in an artificial way. only

very, very rarely are animals propagated and subsequently released into the

wild, and this happens even less in aquariums. anyway, the peta factsheet

on zoos can probably explain this better than me:

http://www.downbound.com/Zoos_s/440.htm. i choose not to give my money to

these places and instead attend wildlife preserves and the actual ocean and

lake with my son. we also look through lots of books together about

animals. i agree that it doesn't compare to the actual presence of a really

neat creature like a whale or a seahorse or a lion, BUT i consider the

sacrifice worth it. i mean hey, i love cheese but i'm not going to be

selfish and support that when there are other alternatives that will

preserve life. but this is JUST MY TWO CENTS -- no flaming from me either.

just wanted to give you some feedback. good luck!

On 7/13/06, rtillmansmail <rtillmansmail wrote:

>

> Hello,

> I post ocassionally but mostly lurk so many probably don't know me. I

> have a 3 year old daughter. The three of us are vegans. I am vegan

> for all the reasons you can think of but my husband follows veganism

> only to decrease animal suffering and for health. He still believes

> somewhat that we should eat animals, if we wish, if their conditions

> were better. He supports my decision to raise our daughter vegan in

> all sense of the word, we have no animal products in the house and he

> follows a very strict vegan diet like me.

>

> My problem is that he wants to take us to the GA Aquarium next week.

> I do visit some places like this if I can find info and feel they are

> truly doing the best possible for habitat enrichment and that their

> goal is really conservation and they have a good track record in

> accomplishing this. I cannot find this info on the aquarium. I am

> very concerned about the beluga whales and shark whales. I know 2 of

> the belugas were rescued from poor conditions in a park in Mexico and

> three came from a conservation program from NY. And the tank they are

> in is 800,000 gallons. I cannot find any more specifics such as how

> deep is the tank - belugas move about through a 66 ft depth and

> routinely dive 1 mile for food, I know external pressure is important

> to these large animals - is it being provided in this small space? I

> know the beluga isn't endangered or threated but is classified

> Appendix II meaning that it is vulnerable. Also their numbers have

> declined significantly in the last two decades. So, " I " don't have a

> problem with APPROPRIATE conservation measures. But I don't have a

> good gut feeling about this organization. Does anyone know if this is

> the case at the GA Aquarium? Also, I haven't had time to look up info

> on the whale sharks (other than they were rescued from becoming

> someone's dinner) or other animals there.

>

> Oh, because we are raising our child together, I have given in to him

> taking her. I may not go but would like to be there to discuss things

> with her - great opportunity for educating her about conservation and

> veganism. But I can't go myself in good conscience until I have more

> info. I can teach her outside this arena without compromising myself.

>

> If anyone has bilogical and technical information or if you have

> visited the aquarium, could you please comment?

>

> The last time I visited the Atlanta Zoo, I had just converted to O-L

> vegetarianism. If you have any comments about the zoo, I would like

> to hear them as well. I just don't have the time to do the needed

> research.

>

> (I am not trying to start a flaming thread - I have seen those on

> this site regarding zoos and aquariums in the past. I merely want

> information on this specific issue. Zoocheck has no information and

> the info on the no whales in captivity site is at least a decade old.)

>

> Thanks,

> Carrol

>

--

" Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. "

--Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

" Thou shalt not be a victim.

Thou shalt not be a perpetrator.

Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander. "

--Holocaust Museum

July 13, 2006

No specific info for you. But in general, I think it sends a good message to the

child if you go anyway to check out the conditions first hand. Talk with each

other about how the animals are being treated and how they must feel about it.

Ask employees appropriate questions about care, etc. Yes, you'd be supporting

the place with a few dollars. But the lesson learned is worth it in the long

run. And when your little one is older and asking to go to these places, you'll

be able to remind her what she saw there and why you don't go anymore (if that

ends up being the case).

God bless,

Bonnie

-

rtillmansmail<rtillmansmail

< >

Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:33 PM

GA aquarium

Hello,

I post ocassionally but mostly lurk so many probably don't know me. I

have a 3 year old daughter. The three of us are vegans. I am vegan

for all the reasons you can think of but my husband follows veganism

only to decrease animal suffering and for health. He still believes

somewhat that we should eat animals, if we wish, if their conditions

were better. He supports my decision to raise our daughter vegan in

all sense of the word, we have no animal products in the house and he

follows a very strict vegan diet like me.

My problem is that he wants to take us to the GA Aquarium next week.

I do visit some places like this if I can find info and feel they are

truly doing the best possible for habitat enrichment and that their

goal is really conservation and they have a good track record in

accomplishing this. I cannot find this info on the aquarium. I am

very concerned about the beluga whales and shark whales. I know 2 of

the belugas were rescued from poor conditions in a park in Mexico and

three came from a conservation program from NY. And the tank they are

in is 800,000 gallons. I cannot find any more specifics such as how

deep is the tank - belugas move about through a 66 ft depth and

routinely dive 1 mile for food, I know external pressure is important

to these large animals - is it being provided in this small space? I

know the beluga isn't endangered or threated but is classified

Appendix II meaning that it is vulnerable. Also their numbers have

declined significantly in the last two decades. So, " I " don't have a

problem with APPROPRIATE conservation measures. But I don't have a

good gut feeling about this organization. Does anyone know if this is

the case at the GA Aquarium? Also, I haven't had time to look up info

on the whale sharks (other than they were rescued from becoming

someone's dinner) or other animals there.

Oh, because we are raising our child together, I have given in to him

taking her. I may not go but would like to be there to discuss things

with her - great opportunity for educating her about conservation and

veganism. But I can't go myself in good conscience until I have more

info. I can teach her outside this arena without compromising myself.

If anyone has bilogical and technical information or if you have

visited the aquarium, could you please comment?

The last time I visited the Atlanta Zoo, I had just converted to O-L

vegetarianism. If you have any comments about the zoo, I would like

to hear them as well. I just don't have the time to do the needed

research.

(I am not trying to start a flaming thread - I have seen those on

this site regarding zoos and aquariums in the past. I merely want

information on this specific issue. Zoocheck has no information and

the info on the no whales in captivity site is at least a decade old.)

Thanks,

Carrol

July 14, 2006

that sounds like good advice too, and i can see the value in it as well.

i'm sure it varies from family to family and child to child.

On 7/13/06, Bonnie Barker <bebarker96 wrote:

>

> No specific info for you. But in general, I think it sends a good

> message to the child if you go anyway to check out the conditions first

> hand. Talk with each other about how the animals are being treated and how

> they must feel about it. Ask employees appropriate questions about care,

> etc. Yes, you'd be supporting the place with a few dollars. But the lesson

> learned is worth it in the long run. And when your little one is older and

> asking to go to these places, you'll be able to remind her what she saw

> there and why you don't go anymore (if that ends up being the case).

>

> God bless,

> Bonnie

>

> -

> rtillmansmail<rtillmansmail<rtillmansmail%40>>

>

> <%40><

> <%40>>

> Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:33 PM

> GA aquarium