“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Gandhi
Aquariums are beautiful places. Giant blue tanks filled with sharks, stingrays, turtles and technicolour shoals of fish. Crocodiles hide behind rocks. Deep sea fish flash with electrical currents in the darkness.
Everyone from toddlers to pensioners can appreciate the beauty of life under the sea. But do we really know what is going on behind the scenes of these aquariums?
In America, Sea World has faced major criticism in the past few years about its orca shows. This came after the release of the influential 2013 film Blackfish, which exposed the treatment of orcas in captivity. Attendance and revenue have declined since the release of the film.
It was a major breakthrough for animal activists, as it captured the attention of millions of people. People really began to talk about the issue and ask themselves whether they believed animals should be kept in captivity.
In the US, marine parks and aquariums are much bigger than we have here in the UK. Sea World is one such example. It features a large outdoor arena with daily whale shows. Georgia Aquarium has a 38,000 m3 tank (the largest in the western hemisphere) with four huge whale sharks inside.
Here in the UK, we have to ask ourselves – where do we stand when it comes to keeping aquatic animals in tanks?
Read the rest of this article on Mpora.com