Betta Not Buy Betta Fish!

It’s pretty depressing to walk down the aisles of a store that sells betta fish—otherwise known as Siamese fighting fish—who are confined to dirty bowls and vases. These tiny glass enclosures are hardly acceptable homes for bettas, who, in nature, swim in large ponds and streams. Sadly, many people buy betta fish because they think that they can “save them.” What they don’t realize is that this just creates a demand for them, so stores will just keep buying more and more fish, condemning them to miserable lives as a trinket or accessory in someone’s home. We’ve come up with some stickers that you can use to help show shoppers that fish should be free to swim in their natural habitats, not stuck in cramped containers.

If you know of a store in your area that sells betta fish, download the sticker sheet and print it on sticker paper, then take your stickers in your bag or pants pocket the next time you feel like going on a trip to the store. (If you don’t have any sticker paper, it’s really cheap, and you can find it in almost any office supply store. Go here for an example of what you’re looking for.) The stickers fit perfectly on those bowls and vases that bettas are kept in, but don’t you dare put them there! Tsk, tsk. What would your mother think?

Snap a picture showing how you used your stickers, then go here to post it to peta2’s Flickr page, or just e-mail it to flickr@peta2.com. We’ll post it on our page for everyone to see, and we’ll give you 1,000 Street Team points for your hard work. Of course, you’ve gotta sign up to be able to use those points.

Betta freedom now!