I do not agree with you on that. There are innumerable instances of wild animals including fish like tarpons and sharks, dolphins, killer whales, tigers, lions, eagles, ospreys, owls, finches, whatnot being released in the wild after local populations died out but some specimens were maintained in captivity. The Grey Wolf has been reintroduced from Zoos in many parts of Europe where it was hunted to extinction locally. The Cheetah has returned to many parts of African now, and one day even the legendary Indian Cheetah even now supposed to still survive in remote areas of Balochistan, Pakistan, might return to Indian soil. If they are taken good care of, kept in a manner that does not disorient them, fed well with natural foods, including the same foods they find in the wild also, they will acclimatize to their native habitat. Not all of them, but many of them, enough of them, to restart or reinforce populations.sreeram wrote:once they acclimatize in tank conditions they will not survive in wild
In fact, this is a wonderful concept, a wonderful way of conservation. So I hope my aquapetz friends will indulge the love for nature of this Greenpeace supporter (me) and read on....
Many famous wild life documentaries by legendary personalities like David Attenborough (BBC) have documented animals who remained alive in the wild for years after being returned and begat offspring successfully.
If the animal or fish has reached the end of its natural life span, then of course the risk is high of not being able to adapt back to the wild. That is because even in the wild, it is near its natural death anyway.
You might also be glad to know that many animals and fish have been returned to the native waters after being kept in captivity for generations... imagine that. They still survive successfully with little or nil prior experience of life in the wild. This was done to save them from extinction and was successful in many cases. The instincts of fish and animals are deep rooted, they can resurface in time. This group includes killifish of the Aphanius genus, and a fish called red-finned blue eye in Australia is currently receiving the benefit of the same process. Some pupfish (another killifish species) has also been not only saved but now due to such efforts, exists in such numbers that existed only decades ago. Every species is different, but there is always a way if we try hard enough.
White Cloud Mountain Minnows (Tanichthys albonubes) have been reintroduced in a secret location in China, and they are also doing well. As I have mentioned before on this website, they were extinct in the wild and only survived in aquariums for many years. To keep the species safe, they have been introduced in places like Australia and Venezuela, and this species proves that even the love and care of us humble fish keepers can save fish species, independently.
Forget wild species, even foreign fish species (like anything foreign, including Italian au pair girls) can adapt so well depending on the area's conditions, we are all warned about introducing them to the wrong places. That shows good living conditions always allow healthy fish to triumph over unknown or forgotten habitats.
Guys, any of us can help mother nature if we decide to.
