seen from China
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We need more enrichment programs for less charismatic animals. Fish (esp elasmobranchs), reptiles, inverts…. enrichment can benefit all. Obviously it would look different for them than like a bird or mammal. But get creative folks! That’s all I’m saying!
Arapaima, also known as pirarucu (scientific name Arapaima gigas*) are super cool fish, perhaps one of the coolest I've ever had the privilege of working with. They're massive and you definitely need to respect their space and strength. But they're typically not aggressive towards people, and can have such chill, dopey personalities. They're also very trainable, which is something more and more professional aquarists have been taking advantage of in order to provide better husbandry.
I love them.
So when I see instagram reels of some sketchy hobbyist keeping them in questionable conditions, and feeding them a bunch of live food (often other large, expensive fish that makes me wonder where he is sourcing all these specimens) in a way that's just... so not necessary.... all because he just wants show off some weird masculine flex about keeping "monster fish" .....
It makes me feel a special kind of angry.
I love working with fish, they're such underrated animals . Sometimes you look into their eyes, and think.... "yeah there are thoughts in that tiny brain."
......I mean.... they're not very smart thoughts, but you know, the lights are on.... mostly....
People commenting on videos of charismatic marine life in captivity, saying “a tank can never replicate the ocean!”
….ya’ll clearly have never kept a reef tank, and it shows.
Today's highlight:
Going to Walgreens to pick up some toothpaste. Explaining to the cashier that the three bottles of KY are to be a separate purchase, on the corporate card.
The Elasmobranch Husbandry website, dedicated to the ethical Husbandry and Conservation of Elasmobranch: Sharks, Skates, Rays and Chimeras. Location of the Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual and the Elasmobranch Husbandry Symposium. The one-stop resource for Shark Husbandry. The one-stop resource for Ray Husbandry. The place to learn more about how to care for sharks and rays.
I don’t know if a lot of you know this, but the entire Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual is available for free to everyone online. I’m proud to say I’ve worked with a couple of the authors and this is a great collection of wisdom from all over the field. It’s mostly aimed at shark husbandry, but there’s a lot of good stuff in there. If you’re in the animal field, or want to get into it, it’s a great way to get familiar with current procedures in animal husbandry.
