It's really nice to have you as part of this list. It was with much
agreement that I read your last post about the commitments of your job.
It's a shame that a place with the educational potential of a zoo gets so
caught up in the red tape that they are unable to bring this potential to
fruition. Thanks to driven people like you who work on the inside, which is
where all the work gets done, anyway, there is still hope ,I suppose.
I think al lot of the points you touched upon are rather poignant and could
be debated for hours and we'd probably drive A&A nuts with all the lenghty
mail. I thi8nk a lot of times we let our objectives get in the way of our
goals. The ultimate goal of an aquarium, IMHO, is to provide access to
these captive ecosystems to those people who cannot visit them themselves.
Let's face it, you're a pretty lucky soul to get to go collecting in
Australia and see these beautiful animals we spend so much time talking
about in their natural environment, or at least what's left of it. Everyone
should be so lucky. But I guess aquariums need funding to survive. People,
for the most part, don't go the the National Aquarium looking for the P.
furcatus display (which I did and never found it) they heard about and don't
give a shit about the dolphins. How many people care about the little fish
more than seeing the big show attractions jumpinf and breeching at the sound
of a whistle? Not many, I would guess. But they pay the bills. My guess
would be that the marketing people found out what people want to see. It's
about the almighty dollar, and don't anyone forget it.
So where was I going with this? I was getting at my appreciation for people
wirking at zoos and aquariums who actually care about what they are doing
and not with what will generate the most income. Isn't it sad that the two
aren't compatible? I work in a pet store, and we stock a lot of rainbows.
I do the best I can to get quality fish. These fish are not cheap, however.
Sure, I can order M. Boesmani out of Florida for 3.59 each, but I won't even
know what I'm getting when I do, and even if they are actually boesmani
(gasp) they quality is pitiful. I found a place in California that sells
them for about twice that price, but it's worth it. So I order from them,
instead. What really hacks me off is that customers come in and all they
care about is the price of something, regardless of the qulality. The
general hobbyist doesn't care. If they want crappy fish, then go to .....
and buy them. They'll take your money just fine. It's tough to
diplomatically say that to people, and some people try my patience. I'll
lose some sales to lower bidders, but I don't care. Luckily, there are a
few out there who appreciate it and they make it worthwhile.
Well, I'll get off my soapbox now before somebody gets hurt ;);)
BTW, I want to pass on my appreciation to A&A for making this list possible.
The exchange of information is paramount for success of this hobby and this
list provides a forum for such exchange. Thanx
Whew. Can anyone here tell I have lots of other work I should be doing?
Bloody procrastination.
Na Zdoroviye
Mike
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Mike Adams, Jr.
Graduate Studies in Engineering
University of Kentucky
College of Engineering
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RSG
ANGFA-NA
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