TravisBraun.com
a deadly situation
the short life of tropical fish at big-box retail stores
Travis Braun
Think of a pet you were particularly close to at some point in your life. A pet you grew up with, a pet that helped you through a tough time – one that you felt you could share everything with.
The pet you are thinking about is probably not a fish, because although tropical fish might be the most common pet, they are one of the most removed from our species. Separated by a clear wall and gallons of water, they live in a different world, a world that not only restricts us from them physically, but which provides a barrier to our emotional connection.
For a semester-long college project, I entered their world. What I realized is the barrier between us and them – between mammal and fish – disguises an alarming crime of animal cruelty. At the retail behemoth Wal-Mart, the life of a tropical fish is one of death, disease and neglect. Wal-Mart is not the only chain with these conditions, but the level of neglect and reach of the chain makes it a company in deep need of reform. For this reason, I focus my study on Wal-Mart, while exploring several other alarming oversights in the tropical fish industry.
You will find no cute and cuddly, no adorable and no breathtakingly heart-warming animal moments here. What you will find are lives being cut short, the reasons for such oversights and the solutions.
Take a breath and plunge in. Welcome to the contemporary world of the tropical fish.
See what it’s like to be a fish at Wal-Mart:
Footage taken February-March 2010.
Franklin, Ind., Wal-Mart.
