{"id":23191,"date":"2016-09-25T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2016-09-25T08:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/natural-organic-blog\/?p=23191"},"modified":"2018-07-06T10:37:06","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T08:37:06","slug":"the-two-oceans-aquarium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/the-two-oceans-aquarium\/","title":{"rendered":"The Two Oceans Aquarium: A Window into the Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the years Faithful to Nature has had the fortunate opportunity to partner and work with many eco-activists who look to serve Mother Nature and all her creatures in different ways.\u00a0 However, it is in the partnering with\u00a0Two Oceans Aquarium<\/a>\u00a0that we have seen a great deal of contention and upset with a group of our customers.<\/p>\n

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Image thanks to Dagny Warmerdam<\/p><\/div>\n

We have chosen to partner with the Two Oceans Aquarium because we believe they are doing a lot of positive conservation and education. And this is true. They are. However, the fact remains that fish are kept in captivity. It is a grey area. Many of our customers feel this is a poor brand alignment and we have considered their point of view and the valid points raised. Ultimately all of this has raised important conversations between organisations, and that in itself is a positive outcome. We can only ever benefit from learning from one another.<\/p>\n

Many things matter to us here at Faithful to Nature, but these recent events have brought two in particular to light. Firstly – we are passionate about being part of the solution that makes this world a better place and secondly – we always listen to our customers. It is only when one steps fully into the world of ethical consumerism that true understanding of the seldom static or black and white issues becomes clearer. Almost every issue and solution\u00a0comes\u00a0with\u00a0grey areas. What matters most in finding the best solution is to always listen to all sides of the story. In all of this, we felt it was only fair to give the Two Oceans Aquarium an opportunity to talk openly about the positive work they are doing daily in ocean conservation. Helen Lockhart of the Two Oceans Aquarium shares her personal journey in coming to terms with this ethical question and why she believes The Two Oceans Aquarium is conservation in its truest sense.<\/p>\n

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“There is no guarantee that people will care if they know, but it is\u00a0certain they cannot care if they do not know.” \u2014Dr Sylvia Earle<\/em><\/p>\n

Growing up in Zimbabwe, the sea was a distant place for me as a child, far\u00a0removed from my everyday experience and only associated with holidays on the\u00a0south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Memories of these times consist of exploring tidal\u00a0pools, building sand castles and being tumbled by seemingly \u2018gigantic\u2019 waves.<\/p>\n

The sea both frightened and intrigued me, but this was only in relation to what\u00a0I saw and experienced at the surface \u2013 the infinite expanse of water with its crashing waves. It would be many years before I learned of and indeed saw\u00a0just an inkling of the great diversity of life that exists beneath the waves.<\/p>\n

While relocating to Cape Town in 1994 brought me closer to the ocean, my\u00a0appreciation of its beauty and the life it supports was still largely from a\u00a0terrestrial point of view. However, in 1995, I was offered an opportunity\u00a0that would exert a powerful influence on my life and immerse me both literally\u00a0and figuratively in another world. The Two Oceans Aquarium opened its doors<\/p>\n

The Two Oceans Aquarium opened its doors\u00a0and unveiled a realm of life that I would never have believed existed. The\u00a0more I have learned about the animals from the ocean depths, the greater my\u00a0intrigue and hunger for knowledge and the deeper my commitment to\u00a0advocating for changes in attitudes and behaviour towards the oceans and\u00a0our planet as a whole.<\/p>\n

However, in spite of this life-changing experience and my dedication to the\u00a0goals of the Two Oceans Aquarium, there are times when I question the\u00a0existence and role of aquariums and zoos and the fact that these facilities\u00a0hold animals in captivity. Having disliked zoos intensely as an adolescent,\u00a0how can I work in an aquarium as an adult? Was I able to accept a position at\u00a0the Aquarium because the majority of the animals are fish and somehow\u00a0they don\u2019t have quite the same appeal as tigers and elephants? What makes\u00a0an aquarium any different to a zoo? These incongruities challenge me and I\u00a0have taken some\u00a0time to reflect on my principles regarding these issues.<\/p>\n

Why is it that we apply different standards to different animals? <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When\u00a0is an animal not worthy of our \u2018sympathy\u2019? The Aquarium is home to more\u00a0than 3 000 individual animals, yet we have only received comments or\u00a0complaints about 26 of these creatures being kept on display. Why don\u2019t\u00a0animals such as anemones and crabs elicit a sympathetic or \u2018they\u2019re so cute\u2019\u00a0response from us? It seems that we only identify with those animals whose\u00a0physical qualities we find endearing and vaguely similar to our own. Perhaps\u00a0we identify more with some animals simply because they are more familiar to\u00a0us \u2013 knowledge of terrestrial life is far greater than that of oceanic life.<\/p>\n

Sometimes our feelings are based purely on ignorance and lack of knowledge\u00a0about the animal\u2019s lifestyle and chosen natural habitat. For example,\u00a0octopuses squeeze themselves into tiny rock crevices to protect themselves\u00a0from predators, yet when they are displayed in an aquarium exhibit that\u00a0replicates their natural habitat, people complain that it is cruel to keep an\u00a0octopus in a confined space.<\/p>\n

When we anthropomorphise certain animals, we attribute human emotions\u00a0and qualities to them. Thus, our feelings towards animals in captivity may\u00a0actually say more about us than about them. Is it that we are confronted with\u00a0our own fear of being confined? Are we reminded that we have the power to\u00a0manipulate animals to our own benefit (including farming, fishing,\u00a0domestication of animals, pets, etc.), which evokes guilt disguised as anger?<\/p>\n

Perhaps it is simply sadness that human beings have necessitated the\u00a0existence of zoos and aquariums in order to protect the environment and\u00a0animals from further degradation and extinction by our own hands.<\/p>\n

At times of such emotion and questioning, I have rationally considered the\u00a0role of the Two Oceans Aquarium and thought deeply about the impact it has\u00a0had on my life and others.<\/p>\n

An educational impact on millions of children<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since the Aquarium opened in 1995, over 2 million\u00a0children have visited it, mostly in school groups. Many of these children are\u00a0historically and economically disadvantaged and some are from homes for the\u00a0physically and mentally handicapped.<\/p>\n

These children live in close proximity to the ocean, yet many of them have\u00a0never even been to the beach. Many of them will never experience the joy of seeing\u00a0underwater through a mask, let alone scuba diving or travelling to exotic\u00a0destinations to see animals in the wild. Some people argue that it is possible\u00a0to learn about the oceans and marine life through films and the Internet.<\/p>\n

However, if this were indeed the case, then there is no basis for the hugely\u00a0successful \u2019safari\u2019 tourism industry in eastern and southern Africa. And many\u00a0of the children who have come to the Aquarium do not have access to books,\u00a0television or the\u00a0Internet.<\/p>\n

Do those of us who are privileged with a formal education and sufficient\u00a0financial stability have the right to further impoverish these children by\u00a0denying them the possibility to marvel at the wonder of nature in the\u00a0Aquarium? Nothing can replace the incredible impact and sheer delight of\u00a0interacting with living animals. It is these first-hand sensory experiences in\u00a0childhood that are vital for the later formation of positive environmental attitudes and behaviours, which are essential if we are to protect the\u00a0environment in years to come.<\/p>\n

The Aquarium provides an opportunity for children, and indeed all visitors, to\u00a0observe animals in ways that would never be possible in the wild. We all know\u00a0that penguins live around the Cape coastline, but how often do we get to see\u00a0these animals at such close range? It is only a handful of privileged divers who have witnessed the penguins as they swim underwater. Even Boulders,\u00a0where one can view penguins in their natural habitat, is for the privileged few.<\/p>\n

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Incredible as it may seem, even though I have been fortunate to have both\u00a0these opportunities, I would not fully appreciate these animals without the\u00a0background of invaluable educational interactions that the Aquarium makes\u00a0possible.<\/p>\n

The true conservationist committed to animal care<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

However, in spite of the value of these unique experiences, I could not work at\u00a0the Two Oceans Aquarium if I was not convinced that the interests of the\u00a0animals are of paramount importance to the people who are responsible for\u00a0their care. The staff demonstrate time and time again their passion and\u00a0commitment to the animals. One such occasion occurred recently when the first\u00a0rockhopper penguin hatched and needed hands-on care to ensure her\u00a0survival. The Aquarium\u2019s rescue and rehabilitation work with turtles also requires an enormous amount of time and care from the staff. But the efforts\u00a0are worth it \u2013 seeing rehabilitated turtles being released back into the wild is a\u00a0heartening experience for all of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people who have not visited the Aquarium assume that we keep\u00a0dolphins, but the Aquarium chooses not to exhibit these animals because it\u00a0could not construct a suitable environment for them within the limited, available\u00a0space. There are many people working here, including myself, who\u00a0draw the line at displaying cetaceans and would be against any move to\u00a0include them in the Two Oceans Aquarium, even though some 74 per cent of\u00a0visitors to the Aquarium have indicated in surveys that they would like to see\u00a0dolphins on display.<\/p>\n

Is the greater good really a grey area?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The role\u00a0and obligation\u00a0of the Two Oceans Aquarium as a public aquarium is\u00a0to showcase the beauty of life in the oceans, to raise awareness of the current\u00a0devastation of the oceans, and to instil a sense of custodianship in all our\u00a0visitors so that they will conserve and protect the oceans.\u00a0Despite the ethical\u00a0questions, I firmly believe in what we stand for:\u00a0sustainability through\u00a0environmental education and conservation. I do not believe that we exist solely for entertainment purposes \u2013 in which case, I would not work here and\u00a0neither would the majority of the staff. I do believe, however, that if we lived in\u00a0an ideal world where humans lived in harmony with nature and did not pollute,\u00a0exploit, overconsume, etc., we wouldn’t need aquariums.\u00a0Sadly, that ideal\u00a0world does not exist and therefore we need places such as aquariums where\u00a0people can\u00a0more easily\u00a0learn about the marine world and hopefully appreciate\u00a0it more fully.<\/p>\n

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Our ongoing efforts to inspire action for the future<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Aquarium\u2019s mission is to\u00a0inspire action for the future well-being of our\u00a0oceans and this we\u00a0do\u00a0through various initiatives and campaigns such as:<\/p>\n