Hi, I know I'm not on much but I'm needing to speak up and to get some advice on how to go about my latest task. Ok, to break down the issue/task.
I work at a PJs Pet Store, but for a common store it is a very good store where we do take care of our fish and reptiles. I try to make sure that I sell only to those who will take care of their fish (mind you it is difficult, but there are tricks to get people not to buy). What happens every so often (especially now that it is the end of term in High School) is we get a lot of kids coming in to buy fish, plants, and snails for their "Science Projects". Ugg:/ They always ask for these things: either a gold fish, a betta fish, or a guppy (a pair of them), snails to eat the waste (two of them), and two plants. They all plan to establish an ecosystem within a tiny, barely half gallon jar, and their goal is to keep everything alive for a week.
Now I have a problem with this. A BIG problem. As it is known by all fish lovers you can't create an ecosystem in such a small place, with those species, in that time frame. I know those fish will probably die withing a few days, if they are lucky, who would want to endure that torture anyway? I try to tell the students to inform their teachers that they cant do that, and to go out of their way to buy a larger tank with everything they need for their fish and then go to their teaher and explain exactly why this doesn't work!!!! But most High School students are not interested in thinking out of the box.
So my goal-my task-is to contact all of these schools and teachers and get this "lesson plan" banned from schools. I plan to prepare a petition, and to contact the principals of the schools and to stop this abuse towards fish. Any thoughts on who else I should contact? How I should go about this?
I work at a PJs Pet Store, but for a common store it is a very good store where we do take care of our fish and reptiles. I try to make sure that I sell only to those who will take care of their fish (mind you it is difficult, but there are tricks to get people not to buy). What happens every so often (especially now that it is the end of term in High School) is we get a lot of kids coming in to buy fish, plants, and snails for their "Science Projects". Ugg:/ They always ask for these things: either a gold fish, a betta fish, or a guppy (a pair of them), snails to eat the waste (two of them), and two plants. They all plan to establish an ecosystem within a tiny, barely half gallon jar, and their goal is to keep everything alive for a week.
Now I have a problem with this. A BIG problem. As it is known by all fish lovers you can't create an ecosystem in such a small place, with those species, in that time frame. I know those fish will probably die withing a few days, if they are lucky, who would want to endure that torture anyway? I try to tell the students to inform their teachers that they cant do that, and to go out of their way to buy a larger tank with everything they need for their fish and then go to their teaher and explain exactly why this doesn't work!!!! But most High School students are not interested in thinking out of the box.
So my goal-my task-is to contact all of these schools and teachers and get this "lesson plan" banned from schools. I plan to prepare a petition, and to contact the principals of the schools and to stop this abuse towards fish. Any thoughts on who else I should contact? How I should go about this?
