Disappointed in my school. Ugh!

[gmd1800]

I'm a biology major, and last year when I was taking General Biology 3, we had a lab where we studied animal behavior. We had two species to choose from - pillbugs and bettas. We had to do a short experiment with each, and then design our own experiment.

I worked with three lovely females and three gorgeous veiltail males, plus one primary male. I observed the behavior of the primary when he was faced with either a female or a male. Once the lab was over, our lab professor distributed the fish among the staff in the biological department and to any students willing to take them home.

I was in the environmental science building walking to my calculus class. I still had about ten minutes before class, so I stood next to the classroom. I looked over and the usually-empty storage room and was faced with about twenty veiltail males and two females, one very cute Cambodian veiltail and the other a crowntail. The water was so filthy it wasn't clear, but rather yellowed. The fish looked so sluggish and the Cambodian female had ammonia burns so severe it wasn't just her gills, but her entire body.

I looked for someone who seemed to be in charge, but I couldn't find anyone. Do you have any suggestions to who I should talk to about this? The little female might be too far gone, but the other fish could still be saved.

[Luimeril]

talk to whoever's in charge of the whole school(do collages have principals? >.>;). tell them that's unacceptable, animal cruelty, and a total health hazard, and something needs to be done.

[chelsmarie23]

Shoot. I would steal some. People these days...

[LolaQuigs]

You should be able to find out who is the head of the biology department, just look for it on your school's website. I think that's probably the most appropriate person to speak to about the situation.

[gmd1800]

I don't think it was the biology department who did this - I work with the invertebrate lab in the department and they take excellent care of their animals. We respect all the policies, including rehoming. Which makes me sad that another department would treat these poor fish like that. I'm thinking of going up to the room tomorrow and leaving my e-mail address and telling them to contact me so I can go in and do water changes for them. Maybe educate them a little.

[Goomba3]

Talk to the dean. If you see janitorial staff wandering around, ask them who brought the fish in. If you find that out, go onto your college's website and figure out which department that professor is with and talk to that department's dean. But leaving your name and number could also be a good idea. Though I would suggest doing that as a last resort. If you talk to the dean and possibly get someone in "trouble", you don't want to have a professor dislike you. It's horrible to think, but some professors are mean and WILL take it out on you as a student.

Good luck!

[Emmalea]

I would steal them.

Chances are nobody's really going to care to much since they clearly aren't taking care of them, and if they do care well thats their problem they should have taken better care of them.

[Abby]

LOL they wont miss two or three fish aevery few days surely sneak em out -evil laugh-

[gmd1800]

Update: I came by again for class and checked on the fish. One had died, several were dying, one fish had what looked like popeye. The little Cambodian female's (not so little - she was up near me today and looked HUGE. Maybe she's a King?) gills had turned black. The rest were swimming in filthy water.

If I could, I'd steal them. However, I don't have the room to house them, nor do I have the money or time to nurse them back to health on my own.

HOWEVER - I'm going back tomorrow and talking to professors who have offices in the building and asking them whose betta are in the window. Hopefully one of them can help me and point me in the right direction. If I can't save them, I want them to be comfortable. They make me appreciate my scaly babies way more than I have already done so.