this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2024
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Axolotls are nearly if not already extinct in the wild. Hobbyists and researchers are the only thing keeping them in existence. Everyone adores seeing my axolotls and get emotionally invested in them almost immediately, which provides a very tangible in person thing for them to think about. It's a good jumping off point for talking about what's happening with lakes and rivers.
There are some things we shouldn't take from the wild. Like I believe sourcing completely natural live rock is unethical as corals have it hard enough and it's super easy to farm our own live rock. Some things it's fine and can even help preserve them or teach people about conservation. I learned so much back when I took care of a marine tank. I have a much stronger understanding of how intricate and fragile our ecosystem can be and people should be allowed to learn and see that for themselves
But captive axolotls are not really true axolotls, they are different from the near extinct wild ones (they have a bit of tiger salamander mixed in). And this really only holds true if people breed their wild-caught aquatic animals - otherwise you are just grabbing a living being from its home and putting it in a tiny cage. There is a place for wild caught fish, but it doesn’t seem very kind to remove them from their habitat to languish in an aquarium for a fraction of their normal lifespan, which is undoubtedly what happens a lot..