Finally! Big retailer is put in the hot seat...

[Anonymous]

hello all. i just found this article this morning on the online san diego union tribune. let me say that, after having worked my ass off for this company, and after having argument after argument with my "higher ups" regarding the huge numbers of animals they were ordering for us to just die (looonnngg story, best told another time), it's oh-so-gratifying to see them get put in the hot seat.
i don't know how most of you like to do things here, but i get irritated at having an entire article posted on precious webspace when a link will suffice. so, here it is! :evil: i hope they FRY.

 

[D]

Where is the hard evdence such as photo's and employee testimonty? Although petco is not that great of a store I doubt they actually try to kill thier animals.most of the local pet stores I know tend to crowd cages. Seems to me just a bunch of PETA whacko's starting a new crusade against a large corporation. Pink gives it so much more credibility though :roll:

 

[danmhippo]

No, I don't think they tried to kill animals. It's their decision to send employees lack of proper training to attempt care of the animals. When you have a complete newbie working with sick or stressed animal, you will have casualties.

 

[naesco]

Intention is irrelavent.
Whether through lack of training of their sales people, warehouseman or whomever, all LFS and online stores have an absolute duty to take proper care of the critters they keep, including those we as reefers cherish.

Any care which does not meet a reasonable standard should subject LFS and online stores to the fullest wrath of the law. Nothing less will do.

In Canada, the ensureance of care is the reponsibility of the Socity for the Prevention of Cruelty to nimals.
They have the legislative authority to investigate and charge those who to not provide reasonable care to the critters in their charge.
When the accused is convicted they are treated like common criminals as they should be. Nothing less would do.

 

[kylen]

The problem with this is that there is perception that these animals are just "fish". Organizations like the SPCA do not care about fish as they are not high profile pets that you can cuddle.

This is extremely evident when it comes to shipping fish by air. These animals are in boxes and do not make a sound or smell so there is not the priority to handle them like somebody's dog. Based on my own experience with airlines such as Air Canada (AC does not hold exclusive rights to this), they have real difficulty handling fish in any sort of proper manner. Anyone know what happens to fish left on the ramp in Toronto in freezing temperatures for 18 hours?

When pointing fingers, the airlines are often overlooked for their responsibility in maintaining optimum health of animals. This is one area that needs attention with MAC. It doesn't matter how much care and attention is paid in handling fish, when shipments are tendered to airlines, 36 hours will pass that you have no control.

Don't get me wrong, this does not absolve the retailers like Petco. Much has to be done for them to clean up their act. Even when the bottom line is so important to them, haven't they figured out that the most expensive fish they ever buy is a dead one.

 

[naesco]

Kylen I agree with everything you say.
There are IMO two major differences.
1.LFS and online stores are in the business of selling critters and therefor have a direct responsibility for their care.
2. LFS are the front line with the public including, environmental groups and government agencies. When they by their wanton carelessness or ignorance, display emaciated fish and dying coral, they give the whole hobby a black eye.

Because industry has no interest in policing itself, and ridding industry of these bad apples (no matter how large the tree), it than falls on environmental groups and the government to step in.

I have never heard of a LFS complaint to the SPCA but if someone complains they are duty bound to investigate. I also believe there would be major changes to a LFS's operation after a visit from a SPCA inspector whether or not charges were in fact laid.

I want to repeat what I stated many time in earlier threads. The majority of industry posters to this forum are the 'cream of the crop' and are not the LFS I speak of. In other words, every day in every way they are becoming more concientious and aware of the demands of the majority of hobbyists. IMO they are becoming more and more alarmed at the prospect of government intervention and the certain closure of our hobby as we know it today.
IMO they lack the forum to speak out at home, concentrating their efforts on some far away islands out of the view of the American Public and government.

 

[Anonymous]

i worked for them at corporate hq, just before they went public with their stock. they had decided that it would be a good idea to open an aquatic/exotic distribution center to furnish all the stores. do you really want an entire list of the animals left dead in the wakes of the collective veeps?

how does 1,500 green iguanas, each and every one of them wild caught, sound? you have no idea what it is like trying to get through to the paternalistic, IGNORANT mindset of the execs there. they lay 2,500 green iggies on me (the ONLY outside hire, and one of three who knew anything about shipping fish, let alone the exotics they laid on us!) at the end of the day. i have NO place to keep them, NO way to feed them, NO way to warm them (it was january ferchrissakes! and lows were getting into the lo 40s), no way to do anything with them. now, my coworkers and i did our best, but we could only do so much, and next morning we threw out more than 400 of the first batch of deads.

how did this happen? well, one guy finds he can get a "deal" on an animal that he figures (not knowing his ass from a hole in the ground) is easy to keep. so, he orders it! by the thousands! does he talk to exotic staff? no. does he research the animal? no. does he get prior approval for expenses related to housing THIS ONE KIND OF ANIMAL?? no. so they died like english soccer fans, stacking up on top of each other in their vain attempts to get to the two heatlamps we were "allowed" to buy. :roll:

this is but just one story among dozens and dozens. and THIS has a flavor no one else can taste, because THIS, my friends, is CORPORATE. we're talking the head of the beast. if it's so easy to happen on the corporate level, what makes anyone think for one second that this company is NOT all about the bottom line? please, don't get me started.

this company, as a whole, is very much guilty of what they're accused. i can walk into four local petcos right now and find birds, lizards, snakes, and pups, in dirty cages with dirty, little, or no water. do you think these animals (especially the birds) are going to remain well (assuming they started out that way) after living in that for weeks? have you ever inspected the tanks? do you think ANY of the "fish" people have EVER heard of "DEAD RUN"???? sheesh!

not jumping any one person's train here, i just want folks to know what it was like "on the inside", and just how infuriating dealing with these people is if you have a shred of decency OR knowledge. while one of the most interesting experiences of my life (operating my own fish room that large), but was among the greatest of ethical/personal dilemmas, and by far one of THE most frustrating situations i have ever come across. sorry for the rant. :?

 

[DBM]

Seamaiden

I feel for you. I worked for a company that was supported by Petco with Petco hoping to purchase this company when they went public. What a nightmare. I was encouraged to apply/accept a position as the person responsible for care of the animals throughout this company. (they've got well over 20 superstores now). The problem is they shouldn't be in the animal business. Would you want to be responsible for overseeing the livestock in a company that does not make animal care a priority?
The stories I could tell are equal to or worse than your iguana story. How about forgeting about livestock in the quarantine room for 2 weeks, or buying fish from Hong Kong because with the average DOA of 60% they still land their fish cheaper than from a North American distributor etc. etc.
At one time I was also offered the livestock buyers position, but would you want this job knowing you'd be subjecting the animals to this kind of treatment? I hope Petco learns something from this lawsuit and gets out of the animal business altogether.

 

[Anonymous]

AMEN! did you know that their real money-maker is DOG FOOD?? if they just stuck to selling dog food, that would be pretty ok ok fine with me.

and thanks, i thought i was almost the only one!

 

[jamesw]

Seamaiden:

It sounds like you should be the whistle blower extordinaire in this lawsuit! So have your called the prosecutor yet and told him/her that you worked at Petco corporate and saw all of this?

If not, then why not? It's one thing to talk about here and another to take action.

Good luck and keep us posted!

James Wiseman (UC high, class of '92)

 

[Anonymous]

i hadn't even thought of it. you're right.