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euRasian32 · 08-03-2005, 08:31 AM

August 5, 2005

Wal-Mart Supercenter
Central Park
1800 Carl D. Silver Parkway
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 786-2090

To Whom It May Concern:

I write this letter to express a concern I have with Wal-Mart’s continuation to sell fish and its lack of care for such a product. I visited the Wal-Mart Super Center at Central Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia on July 19, 2005 to purchase some necessities.

As fish are one of my hobbies, I visit local fish stores, large pet stores, and aquariums alike on a regular basis. I own numerous varieties of fish and have several aquariums. I pride myself on researching the proper habitats and companionships of my fish and those of interest.

I was excited and then horrified to find that Wal-Mart decided to stock a species of puffer fish. When I noticed that store had placed not one puffer but several (more than 5), in a community tank (less than 10 gallons in size) with other fish, I was alarmed. Let me explain why.

Puffers are a unique variety of fish, because of their cartoon-like movements and appearance, permanent smile, and their social interaction with their outside world. As an experience aquarist, I appreciate fish that are unusual and present a challenge in the aquarium and the puffer fish fits the bill.

There are three different types of puffer fish. Those that live in fresh water, such as ponds, the upper reaches of rivers, lakes, and streams; in the brackish waters of river estuaries, deltas, the lower reaches of a river and mangrove-type habitats or salt water (marine); and the marine varieties require a high level of specialized marine mix salt. Most of the species seem to reside in true marine conditions, though there are a few puffers that are strictly fresh water. In fact, most species of brackish water puffers can actually be kept in full marine conditions.

The species that Wal-Mart stocked is commonly known as the leopard-green spotted puffer. These puffers originated in South East Asia and reside in brackish to marine water conditions. Wal-Mart had them in FRESHWATER. Although often sold as a freshwater or brackish water fish, this species requires full saltwater conditions as an adult to really thrive. They should only be introduced to a fully cycled aquarium matching the salinity they were being kept in previously. The salinity should slowly be raised to at least 1.015, preferably full marine conditions. This species will not do well for an extended period in freshwater conditions. They need high-end brackish water to full-marine conditions as they grow. The green-spotted puffer is an active fin nipper and will predate smaller fish and invertebrates. Most of the puffers I observed were bitten on all of their fins, some missing a tail and side fins altogether, not to mention the other fish in the tank were missing fins. Although a peaceful fish, a puffer should still be kept in a solitary tank that is no smaller than 30 gallons.
Just for the record, I have not purchased a puffer because of the level of care that is involved in taking care of this precious animal. Apparently, Wal-Mart does not share my concern for the health and safety of these living creatures. I attempted to rescue one of these puffers by purchasing it and a small tank. However, after careful inspection of each fish, I realized none of the badly bitten fish would survive, or they were overcome with ick (the most common external parasite) .
Having seen all I could bare, I returned home and composed a letter to the headquarters of Wal-Mart.
Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from the Central Park location. I spoke with a daytime manager with regard to my concerns. In truth, she seemed clueless to the true distress that I was under for the lack of care her store gave to their fish.
We discussed the fact the puffers were purchased in attempt to increase sales as the “fish of the month” and that they would probably not purchase any more of this species, and seemed content on purchasing more fish they knew nothing about in the following months. I expressed to her my feelings that her vendor was also to blame for the lack of respect these fish were given, not only had they sent them damaged, but, obviously, had not educated her or her staff on the proper care of such fish or made certain her store could properly stock them. With all that was discussed, she assured me she would talk to her manager and resolve the problem. Later that same day, I received a message from her stating that they were going to send the fish back to the vendor.
Although I have shopped at Wal-Mart on a regular basis, I am truly hurt that they would treat these animals with less respect than their perishables in the grocery aisles. If Wal-Mart cannot supply a proper environment for the fish they intend sell, then they should not be a proprietor of pets. Even though fish are not fuzzy and cuddly, that does not mean that they are not loved pets. They are not toys, fads, or decorations for home or office and should be taken very seriously.

I am attempting to appeal to a larger audience, in hopes that something more will be done for the fish stocked at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, I do not believe much can be done for the poor little puffers I saw just a few weeks ago. I hope someone, maybe you, can help me to make this more than a cry from my heart and help put an end to an attempt to sell a product that Wal-Mart does not seem to care about.

I trust you will take this letter seriously, given that you have a heart, and address the issue immediately with those individuals in the Wal-Mart organization responsible for the massacre of this living being.

Sincerely,

Cc:

Wal-Mart Online Customer Service
http://www.walmartstores.com/wmstore...OnlineForm.jsp

Fredericksburg Animal Control
P.O. Box 828
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
(540) 373-3122

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 622-PETA

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
424 E. 92nd St
New York, NY 10128-6804.

The Nature Conservancy
4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22203-1606

World Wildlife Fund
1250 24th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 293-4800

Letters to the Editor
The Free Lance–Star
616 Amelia Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

08-03-2005, 08:31 AM	#2
euRasian32 Why So Serious? Join Date: May 2005 Location: Virginia Age: 33 Posts: 771	August 5, 2005 Wal-Mart Supercenter Central Park 1800 Carl D. Silver Parkway Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Phone: (540) 786-2090 To Whom It May Concern: I write this letter to express a concern I have with Wal-Mart’s continuation to sell fish and its lack of care for such a product. I visited the Wal-Mart Super Center at Central Park in Fredericksburg, Virginia on July 19, 2005 to purchase some necessities. As fish are one of my hobbies, I visit local fish stores, large pet stores, and aquariums alike on a regular basis. I own numerous varieties of fish and have several aquariums. I pride myself on researching the proper habitats and companionships of my fish and those of interest. I was excited and then horrified to find that Wal-Mart decided to stock a species of puffer fish. When I noticed that store had placed not one puffer but several (more than 5), in a community tank (less than 10 gallons in size) with other fish, I was alarmed. Let me explain why. Puffers are a unique variety of fish, because of their cartoon-like movements and appearance, permanent smile, and their social interaction with their outside world. As an experience aquarist, I appreciate fish that are unusual and present a challenge in the aquarium and the puffer fish fits the bill. There are three different types of puffer fish. Those that live in fresh water, such as ponds, the upper reaches of rivers, lakes, and streams; in the brackish waters of river estuaries, deltas, the lower reaches of a river and mangrove-type habitats or salt water (marine); and the marine varieties require a high level of specialized marine mix salt. Most of the species seem to reside in true marine conditions, though there are a few puffers that are strictly fresh water. In fact, most species of brackish water puffers can actually be kept in full marine conditions. The species that Wal-Mart stocked is commonly known as the leopard-green spotted puffer. These puffers originated in South East Asia and reside in brackish to marine water conditions. Wal-Mart had them in FRESHWATER. Although often sold as a freshwater or brackish water fish, this species requires full saltwater conditions as an adult to really thrive. They should only be introduced to a fully cycled aquarium matching the salinity they were being kept in previously. The salinity should slowly be raised to at least 1.015, preferably full marine conditions. This species will not do well for an extended period in freshwater conditions. They need high-end brackish water to full-marine conditions as they grow. The green-spotted puffer is an active fin nipper and will predate smaller fish and invertebrates. Most of the puffers I observed were bitten on all of their fins, some missing a tail and side fins altogether, not to mention the other fish in the tank were missing fins. Although a peaceful fish, a puffer should still be kept in a solitary tank that is no smaller than 30 gallons. Just for the record, I have not purchased a puffer because of the level of care that is involved in taking care of this precious animal. Apparently, Wal-Mart does not share my concern for the health and safety of these living creatures. I attempted to rescue one of these puffers by purchasing it and a small tank. However, after careful inspection of each fish, I realized none of the badly bitten fish would survive, or they were overcome with ick (the most common external parasite) . Having seen all I could bare, I returned home and composed a letter to the headquarters of Wal-Mart. Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from the Central Park location. I spoke with a daytime manager with regard to my concerns. In truth, she seemed clueless to the true distress that I was under for the lack of care her store gave to their fish. We discussed the fact the puffers were purchased in attempt to increase sales as the “fish of the month” and that they would probably not purchase any more of this species, and seemed content on purchasing more fish they knew nothing about in the following months. I expressed to her my feelings that her vendor was also to blame for the lack of respect these fish were given, not only had they sent them damaged, but, obviously, had not educated her or her staff on the proper care of such fish or made certain her store could properly stock them. With all that was discussed, she assured me she would talk to her manager and resolve the problem. Later that same day, I received a message from her stating that they were going to send the fish back to the vendor. Although I have shopped at Wal-Mart on a regular basis, I am truly hurt that they would treat these animals with less respect than their perishables in the grocery aisles. If Wal-Mart cannot supply a proper environment for the fish they intend sell, then they should not be a proprietor of pets. Even though fish are not fuzzy and cuddly, that does not mean that they are not loved pets. They are not toys, fads, or decorations for home or office and should be taken very seriously. I am attempting to appeal to a larger audience, in hopes that something more will be done for the fish stocked at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, I do not believe much can be done for the poor little puffers I saw just a few weeks ago. I hope someone, maybe you, can help me to make this more than a cry from my heart and help put an end to an attempt to sell a product that Wal-Mart does not seem to care about. I trust you will take this letter seriously, given that you have a heart, and address the issue immediately with those individuals in the Wal-Mart organization responsible for the massacre of this living being. Sincerely, Cc: Wal-Mart Online Customer Service http://www.walmartstores.com/wmstore...OnlineForm.jsp Fredericksburg Animal Control P.O. Box 828 Fredericksburg, VA 22408 (540) 373-3122 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 501 Front Street Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 622-PETA American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) 424 E. 92nd St New York, NY 10128-6804. The Nature Conservancy 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22203-1606 World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 293-4800 Letters to the Editor The Free Lance–Star 616 Amelia Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401 __________________ “Corporations pay people just enough money so they won’t quit. People work just enough so they don’t get fired. What's that about?” – Christopher Walken, Pool Hall Junkies Last edited by euRasian32; 08-03-2005 at 08:35 AM.