The crayfish story

On the 13th of february, at 10:30, a Wilma message was sent out by Birthe, a biology teacher on the national side, informing students that a bucket filled with live crayfish had been found in the inner yard next to the cafeteria. The crayfish were originally left in a 10 litre tank without water, but some of them had managed to escape the bucket and crawl around the corridors before being found and given water. A couple of crayfish were found dead, most likely due to lack of moisture in their gills.

The person responsible, a substitute teacher for the middle school, turned up shortly after the finding of the bucket. The substitute later justified not giving the crayfish sufficient water or space by stating that they would drown if put in water, which is simply laughable. Not only that, but leaving the bucket unattended, within the reach of pre- and middle schoolers did not help their case. Some of the crayfish were found hours later by voluntary gardeners.

The reason for the Substitute bringing crayfish to the school in the first place is just as ridiculous as you’d think. Apparently they had been crayfish hunting in order to host a crayfish party, and had gathered way more than what was needed. Therefore they concluded that the logical thing to do was to bring them to school and see if anyone wanted to have them. Since the incident took place on Tuesday, it is very likely that the crayfish were left without proper care for an even longer period of time.

While it is true that crayfish can survive for an extensive period of time on land, they still need their gills to be moisturised once a while. Neglecting their need for humidity and space is extremely irresponsible, since even for short term storage of a dozen crayfish, it is recommended to supply them with gallons of water. The animal welfare act prohibits undue pain and distress for animals and ensures that animals are to be kept in premises appropriate for the species. This act is applied for all animals. 

The actions of the substitute certainly seems to fit this vague criteria of animal cruelty. So far however, no repercussions or condemnation has been seen. While some may see this as a serious lack of morality and competence on the part of the substitute, it is important to remember that we all make mistakes. With some flounders worse than others, we all can learn something from them. In situations like this, it is important for us to be able to understand and forgive each other in order to stay united.