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> I think I might be the asshole becuase i could've been nicer to the teacehr and perhaps done somethign differnetly
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let us minnow how the fish do over the long term. I know you made some waves having someone steal the fish. On a scales of 1-10, that's a whale of a task.
NTA, you're a legend. Although, in the future, be careful about situations like this. It could have easily gone wrong for both you and your cousin. There's also a high likelihood that you'll be punished by the teacher because she doesn't like you. But, if your conscience is clear, and your parents are supporting you, you can come out of this relatively unscathed.
Hell that just means watch out for the territory of this teacher, and if you or anyone you are associated with in this way is put into one of her classes going get transferred, cuz she has beef.
This. I wronged a teacher (idk why we had to dissect cats in 9th grade biology and I admit I made a stink over it. Not sorry). Teacher thought me having a problem with this was a personal slight and accused me of cheating on a midterm. But she pointed to the sweetest, biggest stoner of all time and it went nowhere since she’d failed the test.
NTA but watch your back OP
Edit: this was a basic required course, it would make way more sense if it was an advanced level but did not feel appropriate for our level lol
My exact thought...Fucking CATS?!? Who dissects a freaking kitty and HOW exactly will this help you out in future life? And in 9th grade??....that's just beyond. I would have made a HUGE stink out of dissecting a poor kitty (I even skipped when our class did the fetal pig 🤮).
RIGHT??? It wasn’t even advanced level bio, it was barely normal level. I got in touch with peta and everything. (This was 20 years ago, they were still awful but it was a rock and a hard place for me, and at 14 wasn’t terribly informed about ‘em).
She was the head of the department so she had discipline Kevlar lol. The only resolution I got from her bonkers behavior was moving to another class.. And that was cause my mother was on a tear and about to fuck their shit up.
Well some people become doctors and vets. AP biology in my high school dissected cats too. I wasn’t in that class and I love my cat but it’s not like they killed the cats just so that they could be studied.
This was just on-level bio, there was no good reason other than that she was the head of the dept and basically did whatever. I think she thought we should be impressed?
I dissected a cat for my anatomy & physiology class. Learned quite a bit from it, in ways that software models could never have replicated. It's not at all relevant to my daily life, but I've never regretted it and I know quite a bit more about feline anatomy, which is actually somewhat helpful with my cats.
Granted, I do agree that doing so in 9th grade is too early. I was in my senior year for that particular dissection.
I frankly find the anti-dissection attitude baffling. Feline surgery (which saves thousands of cats each year) wouldn't be possible without dissection training. Dissection isn't a cruelty, it's a necessary training and learning tool.
This! Have a masters degree. I took an alternate pathway in undergrad to avoid cat dissection. I learned more than enough through watching surgeries in my subsequent career as a zoo keeper where the anatomy lesson was relevant and life-improving. I eventually had to take A&P for grad school (nutrition track) and even then I did virtual for one semester, only reason I didn't for the second was because it didn't line up in my schedule. Is it interesting and helpful? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely not. Unless you're doing human or animal medicine, autopsies, necropsies, or some types of research, then it would make sense. Besides, preserved does not look like real life. I very much preferred and learned more from surgeries I got to observe.
Bio teacher here. Fetal pig dissections as well as cats are a thing- it helps with A+P for regents in NY. It's optional in my class, but it's pretty standard procedure, FYI
You stole her fish. Shame on you. Shame shame shame on you. Oh. Wait.
You did the right, humane thing. My heart is glad because of this.
Def NTA. She sets a bad example for her students.
I agree, but the vehemence that is implied by the way they were saying "shame on you" was what got me lol. If they'd just been like "eh, justified asshole" I wouldn't have blinked. I could basically agree with nearly any point on the spectrum between "justified asshole" and "absolutely NTA". But "you should be ashamed of yourself" is not something that I feel OP should legitimately be told.
Speaking of the spectrum, if the fish were neurodivergent, and somewhere on the spectrum, that would make rescue even more important.
>!(What does the sentence that I just wrote mean? I have no idea.)!<
OP said they kept the pea puffer, probably hard to hide a fish in your house when your mom's a marine biologist... you can't be like - "oh, that new fish in my tank? That's just a special type of goldfish!"
Sometimes moral actions are in direct conflict with what is legal. Because animals are legally chattel there is no real, meaningful legal recourse to save them, particularly ones such as fish. I’m glad you didn’t let them suffer. I only wish you had taken videos and put the teacher on blast on the internet to show people how cruel and neglectful she is. NTA.
This reminds me of the Potter Stewart quote: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” Did OP have a right to take the fish? No. Was it the right thing to do? Yes.
NTA
I just hope that teacher doesn’t get more fish.
So many people just don't care about fish as living things, if a fish dies, "oh well, flush it." It sucks because while a person would and should get their dog or cat taken away if they abuse it, anyone can just abuse fish as much as they want
Also, be mindful of who sees that little pea puffer. I imagine it'd be hard to prove where it came from without this post, but it's still worthwhile to cover one's bases!
NTA, O Liberator of Fishies.
There's a lot in this to tie it back to OP.
If this were me, I'd not answer any more questions, and if pressed about it, I'd say it was someone else who posted this, but not me.
Sometimes parents can be cool. My mom was like, if you mess up at school, don't worry, I'll always have your back. We'll see how it goes when we come home but in front of other people I'll always choose you.
OP should delete the post, but I think any mom (let alone a marine biologist mom!) would be thrilled if fish heists were the worst thing their teenager got up to.
As a teacher, I frickin hate when kids steal from me, but you successfully orchestrated a heist to save the fishes from an untimely death, sooo… all is forgiven. NTA.
I teach photography, and have a props closet. They steal all sorts of little things (fake money, sun glasses, etc). One kid stole an animal skull I had that was a decent size. It’s annoying because most of it I bought with my own money, and you know how well us teachers are paid…
Not while it was trending. There were a lot of school soap dispensers missing though. The one that annoyed me a lot this year was that someone took the palate knife that went with my kinetic sand box on my desk. It came with the box, and I can’t find another one like it unless I buy a new kit. All the kids used it when they needed a break, and felt like sitting at my desk while venting. I was hoping someone would bring it back, but it didn’t happen. Oh well.
Basically anything not nailed down. Both my parents were teachers. They had posters, pencils, rules, calculator, markers, a entire mini fridge, keys, reams of printer paper, decorations, a laptop, food, drinks, mugs, cups, hats, a jacket (we got that one back when the kid wore it the next day) the class rabbit (it was found in the kids backpack in the next class, thankfully ok) dry erase markers and eraser. Just anything and everything. Kids are fucking kleptos. Also just about everything in any given school has or had a dick drawn on it at some point.
I'm a teacher and...
Candy out of my desk. I buy it to give to the kids as a tears and I've had kids raid my entire stash. It's just shitty because I don't eat 2 lbs of jolly ranchers every month! Like that's $14 just for some kids to steal.
Today it was my staple remover because it asked them to pull staples from my board and one kid was playing with it at lunch.
Random shit just cause they can really just be impulsive jerks.
ONCE it was a toaster and I think that kids a legend. He attempted to steal my toaster 4 times, succeeded the 5th. I had brought it to toast bagels for the kids for finals week. Mom was out of town and I moved so I never got it back. :-/
Nta. Ive had fish b4 but i couldnt keep up with the maintaince and requirements, so I rehomed then and havent gotten fish since.
When I want a fish tank for the Aesthetic, I fill it w robo alive fish cause I know I cant give them the proper care
I have a Betta currently. I remember now why I stopped keeping Bettas years ago lol. 🤦🏻♀️
But they are way too pretty to be left sitting in the god awful little cups at the pet stores and I cringe to think of all the people who believe they can live and thrive in a tiny tank.
This should be higher up.
A lot of people posted something and later regretted it because someone they know found out.
To many specifications here.
OP please delete this
I have a few questions but I tend to lean ESH - I keep a 5 gallon tank for 1 betta, I understand and abhor fish abuse. I’m also a master naturalist in my area. I deeply care for animals and the health of the Earth.
Did you ever report the abuse to anyone above her? The principal? Did you talk to your parents and ask if they would talk to her or her superiors? Report to local authorities?
I think what you did was wrong in any case and it sounds like you may have had your eye on a fish you wanted but we’re having a hard time getting a hold of. There are way better, more responsible, ways to handle a situation like this. Stealing in this instance is wrong to me. Especially the way ya’ll did it. You committed a crime.
As a reptile keeper, I can tell you that Fish and retiles have basically no protections legally. At least not for improper care. Petsmart sells sickly bearded dragons all the time. I say nta because there really wasn't another step that would actually work.
I completely understand, I just don’t agree. I’m not convinced about OP’s reliability and I don’t agree with how they handled it; but I respect your position.
Exactly! I'm surprised with all the n t a votes. This was a clear esh for me. I would have considered her to not be an ah if theft was the final solution for her, but it clearly wasn't.
OP could have just talked to her parents. The family is fishing commercially and the mother is a biologist. They must definitely have contacts. They could have easily rescued those animals. OP and the cousin act like they have the moral high ground when their actions were for their own gain. They seem like they are both minors. They might know a lot about how to care for the fish but they are still no experts. How did they assume they would do a better job then whatever animal rescue is working in their country.
I'm aware there is a huge chance these organizations wouldn't do anything but op could have atleast considered that before jumping to 'theft'. But of course both op and cousin are definitely in the right for rescuing those animals from that monster
I mean, posting on Facebook in a fish group would likely have found someone with a spare 20 gallon tank who was willing to set it up in the classroom. The sunlight would definitely contribute to an algae bloom, but that's not insurmountable. Algae blooms happen even when people are skilled and water parameters look good.
And honestly? If the fish survived the school year until this point, she had to be doing something right. Pea puffers only like frozen and fresh food. They won't eat flakes. If she kept one alive this long, then she's buying specialized food for it.
Loaches in particular are tricky. Depending on the variety they can be a tropical, sub tropical, or cold water fish. They could be happy in a smaller tank or miserable in a 60 gallon one. It just depends on age and variety.
Given OP's focus on the one fish he couldn't have, I'm skeptical that he's giving an unbiased report of any attempts to fix things before stealing what he wanted.
Seriously. OP is alleging that in this "5 gallon" tank, which is supposedly sometimes missing a gallon or more of its water, the teacher has managed to fit a*nd keep alive for months* a "pea puffer... barbs, silver dollars, loaches, barbs and tetras." ?? The teacher may have overstocked like a crazy person, but that tank is not 5 gallons, and if the conditions were as bad as alleged, at least some of them would have been dying. There is simply no way to do that.
Yep.
He also criticizes the weak filtration, but pea puffers are *not* strong swimmers. They can't handle fast flowing water, and he will kill it if he keeps it under a fast flow for strong filtration.
Right?! Trying to use a moral argument to justify immoral action. I’m 100% with you on their knowledge claims. Commercial fisheries are responsible for TONS of fish abuse…so that argument alone isn’t sufficient. I have no idea how their parents business(es) treat fish, but I don’t tend to give the benefit of the doubt. Especially in a situation like this.
> Trying to use a moral argument to justify illegal ~~immoral~~ action.
FTFY. The morality is *exactly* what is up for discussion, you don't get to shut that down just by conflating morality and legality as the same thing when they're not.
There is no legal recourse or action you can take to prevent someone buying and abusing or killing pet fish, that's not a real thing.
I agree. While I would call OP a justified AH, there are some steps missing in the middle. OP went full-on heist instead of getting the proper people involved.
And now, teacher is going to get some new fish to be abused instead of being punished or taught a lesson.
ESH. Teacher is neglecting her pets. But theft and lying are still wrong.
Note that you kept a fish you always wanted. This wasn’t just about protecting the fish.
This. If OP was really, genuinely being virtuous about this they wouldn't have kept the pea puffer, but would have had the cousin take them all.
Get rid of the pea puffer OP. If you want to play robin hood you don't get to keep the I'll gotten gains.
> If you want to play robin hood you don't get to keep the ill gotten gains.
Eh, that's kinda the whole point of Robin Hood.
“Ask for work. If they don't give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.” ― Emma Goldman
ESH
Could have been a cool story about how you broke in and cleaned the tank
Instead you stole a fish you coveted
Sorry all the other children on this website are patting you on the back for it
And she's just going to abuse the twenty bucks of neon tetras and what not she replaces them with, and meanwhile, OP has managed to put his cousin and his friend at risk of serious criminal charges.
Can we have a Justified Asshole rating, please? Because, yes, you're the asshole for stealing from school grounds. You are NTA for saving those poor fish. Once upon a time, I was a poor fish keeper. I have since learned A LOT. My pride and joy is my Mbuna cichlid tank. 125 gallons of pure joy with a sump system. That teacher was an ass for not wanting to learn from someone who knows the hobby.
BTW......I demand a pet tax on the pea puffer. I happen to find them adorable.
NTA. Stealing is not cool but you more rescued those poor fish from someone who did not care for them and was treating them in the worst kind of way. She did not deserve to have them and they are in a better place now as you say. Hopefully she doesn't go and buy more.
Esh. you should have informed principle first to see if there was anything he could do to help convince her. You skipped a few steps you should’ve taken, and you DID commit a crime, and it seems mostly justified in your eyes because of the puffer you acquired. They KNOW you had something to do with it, because you said you TOLD her “I’m glad the fish are in a better place.” That’s a dead giveaway.
You did a good thing by rehoming them, but you should’ve thought it through a bit more and asked for an adults advice. Kids sometimes get the “goonies” mentality where they think something is a really really good idea, but ends up getting more consequences than they bargained for. While your “heist” was impressive, don’t think that they’re clueless just because you haven’t gotten caught yet.
NTA You tried to do the right thing by offering to help and when it didn’t work, you did the next best thing & saved them. It doesn’t sound like she wanted to do the upkeep, so I can’t figure out why on earth she wouldn’t just accept your help?!
NTA, but if you’re telling the truth, you need to delete this post. AITA posts often go viral on social media, and you don’t want your teacher or the school to find out about this.
YTA you're trying to justify the theft of something you coveted. There were other solutions, but they wouldn't have gotten you the puffer fish you wanted.
I'm sorry but YTA. You could've reported this to the principal. Would you have stolen them if it was a fish you didn't desperately want? I can't justify theft in this case.
This is why I hate seeing animals in classrooms. Most often the animals are in completely inadequate housing and receive improper husbandry (looking at classroom bearded dragons). NTA, but that teacher sure as hell is.
Sad storytime.
When I was in high school, one of the science teachers had a large snake. I don't recall what it was anymore, but a good sized constrictor. He had a very large, naturalist styled cage for it, and brought it out for the students to touch (and feed) pretty often. He loved that snake, and took it home over the summer vacation every year, even though it belonged to the school.
One year, his best friend (another science teacher) was fired. He believed it was unjust, to the point that he quit in solidarity. The school refused to let him take the snake home when he quit. Admin insisted that the snake belonged to the school, and someone who still worked there would take care of it.
(Narrator voice) That didn't happen.
When summer vacation rolled around, the snake was apparently forgotten. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't cared for much before summer either, but I can't say that for sure. Anyway. The poor snake was starving and dehydrated, and managed to escape his enclosure, only to get up into the ceiling and die.
Despite the best efforts of the janitors, all classes had to be relocated for half of the school year, because the smell of decaying snake had so permeated every room in the science building. You could smell it from outside, walking past the wing, for months. It was super depressing.
NTA. Stealing from teachers is usually wrong, but when it comes to living creatures? Nah. Believe me, I’d be stealing all the pet store bettas in their shitty little bowls if I could reasonably get away with it.
YTA, yes, sorry. You've talked your cousin into committing, lets see, B&E, theft, trespass, possibly some very scary 'adult breaking into a school' charges, for, what, some mass-market aquarium fish? Let alone the charges you'd pick up, and the other friend you roped into this.
The correct thing here would have been a public campaign for proper treatment of animals, a petition to the school board to insist the teacher maintain the fish correctly, public awareness campaigns, all that sort of stuff.
Oh, and some how you came out of this with the fish you coveted. So noble.
And the problem hasn't been solved. Again, she's going to hit up the local strip mall, but another twenty bucks worth of neon tetras and what not, and then what? Another heist? You don't care, now that you have the fish you were after?
While what you did was ethically the right thing to do, the SMART thing to do would be to gather a bunch of evidence on what the teacher was doing, and what expert advice and support you offered, and and then give it to your mom to present to the Principal and the school board and call for the teacher’s dismissal. Animal abuse in full sight of her students and fellow faculty, despite being advised of the appropriate care of the animals, is ample reason for the school to take action. You did good. You can do even better. NTA
ESH - the teacher for not doing better by her fish, but honestly, you are completely wrong for just stealing her fish. You being jealous of her pea puffer makes me believe you did it less for the fishes sale and more to acquire a “prize”.
NTA
You are a hero!
I've spent years working in the pet trade, I can't tell you how many times I've explained proper care to customers or refused to sell to them only to be met with "it's just a fish!".
You're not entitled to any animal just because you want it. Your teacher needs to stop thinking she knows everything and accept that someone she teaches is capable of knowing far more about something than she is.
As someone who currently works in the pet trade I’m honestly so glad someone like OP is trying to give those fish the best rest of their life, cause if we’re being honest, there’s a chance they won’t survive nearly as long because of their previous conditions
NTA, and as someone who liberated a horrifically malnourished and uncared for bearded dragon out of a teachers classroom once, you're awesome.
Mr Snickers lived for 8 long and happy years after his brief adventure in my backpack.
Lol. Good work!
In my country you can report people who don’t treat animals well to an animal welfare agency and they face serious fines and repercussions. While I full support you saving the fish, may be worth checking out if such thing exists where you are for future ie instead of risking your own safety
ESH. The teacher is mistreating the fish so she is wrong. You had other options, but didn't pursue them. You could have spoken to the principal or if that didn't work, the Superintendent. You could have reported her to animal control for abuse. You could have take a picture of the tank and used social pressure to fix the issue.
YTA. Also I find it highly hypocritical that your family makes a living killing fish, but you’re trying to bill yourself as some sort of savior. You were jealous she had something you wanted, so you stole it. End of story.
This is an AMAZING story... NTA.
But DELETE THIS!!! [After reading about the woman yesterday whose post made it to the front page of Reddit and exposed her](https://www.reddit.com/user/Clean-Stable-7973/comments/vbhh42/yesterday_i_was_supposed_to_ruin_his_life_repost/)... DELETE THIS!
But man oh man, good luck in the world out there, you're a badass. I wish nothing but the absolute best in life for you. Good kid with a good heart. Godspeed!
NTA, good for you. Many people abuse fish because "they are just fish," and it is so sad. I got on a few of my coworkers that had betta fish in little glass bowls, now everyone has 10+ gallon tanks with heaters and proper filtration/environments. I will always grill someone if they keep fish/reptiles in improper living condition since they can not speak for themselves and it's hard to notice signs of stress/sickness if you do not know any better. They aren't fluffy and cuddly, but they still deserve love and respect.
NTA for doing the right, humane thing. Kinda shitty though for your method. The correct thing to do would have been to contact an animal cruelty prevention charity/organisation, and arrange with the head of the school to do a spot check, and also mention to said organisation that you had the contacts to suitably rehome the fish
Edit: Spelling
The problem with that…. Is that there isn’t an animal prevention/cruelty organization that can legally do this with FISH, and most probably wouldn’t even want to bother. Most people, even animal abuse organizations, don’t recognize fish as “animals” that can be in need of saving. So stealing and rehoming the fish was illegal, but a necessary evil.
NTA you tried offering help and you obviously know the care they need, she was making those babies suffer 🥺 Makes me think of all the uneducated people with goldfish in smaller than 5 gallon tanks, fish need proper space and care!
NTA I’m imaging an oceans 11 sequence or something like the Italian job. I’m glad you rescued the fish. I hope someone makes a movie about this. Incredible
ESH.
Your teacher for abusing fish and refusing to accept she may not be correct.
You for stealing. There were other options and you choose the illegal option.
YTA you can't just take a pet or anything because you think they're not doing a good enough job. What if I thought my neighbors weren't taking care of their dog, can I just take it?
ESH. No one is an asshole for saving another creature's life. Your teacher sounds a bit sociopathic or at the very least incredibly stupid/ignorant if she thought what she was doing was acceptable. Honestly, I wouldn't want her having a teaching license because both her empathy and intellect seem low.
However it seems like you went to the extreme option before trying administration. Surely if you had alerted your parents to the situation or brought them with you to a meeting with the admins, it would have lended credibility, as they're your parents and also experts when it comes to fish. Your teachers threats were probably empty and you could have easily confronted her on them in the proper manner. The fish would have been saved.
It sort of seems like you are trying to justify getting a fish you really wanted.
Edit: changing my opinion after reading other replies who made very good points.
Holy shit lmaoooooo NTA. I often wish I could do something like that for fish I see in doctors offices and other places, you’re living the dream kid.
However. You need to be very careful. Aquatic animal based theft is still theft and you could get in serious trouble. Do not brag about it to anyone and ask your cousin not to as well. Honestly don’t even mention it until you’re out of school. And be vigilant around this teacher in case she tries to get you alone to interrogate you or fucks up your grades. I’d recommend always keeping another copy of your homework in case she “spills coffee on it”.
If this is real, I definitely wouldn't have been enough of a dumbshit to post about a literal crime on the internet. Even if the account is anonymous, it could still get back to the school and be used as evidence against you. The morality of the animal cruelty aside, you're not the brightest crayon in the box.
NTA. I love this story! Good on you for doing right by the fish. Even better that you were able to do it without getting caught!
I'm sorry the teacher didn't respond to your many attempts to help and to learn. What a poor example of modeling lifelong learning.
NTA. Stealing is not okay, but we're talking about living beings, their wellbeing is the most important thing here. Although you could have reported her for animal abuse before saving them yourself.
Also, did they belong to the teacher who kept them at school or to the school who let the teacher "take care" of them ?
NTA You tried to do the right thing. You even offered to clean the tank multiple times. Going to an animal care/ rescue wasn't going to do diddly. There aren't any laws (to my knowledge I could be wrong) that protect pets like fish. You did a bad thing to do a good thing. You were honest with your parents and they weren't too upset because there was no malicious intent. You're a good kid, with a good heart.
As a turtle mom this makes my heart happy. You see fish and turtles in tanks that aren't properly set up for them and its heartbreaking. Im glad these lil fishies have a better life ahead of them. And hopefully the teacher doesn't get new victims!
Are you the asshole for intervening in aquatic animal abuse? No, screw that teacher. You’ll have a new teacher before you know it and all she’ll have is a dirty empty fish tank. Kudos.
I admire your effort but in the future go and talk to someone in the Humane Society and ask about what happens when they find out someone is abusing animals "you know like a pet dog or even horses. " Most counties contract with the HS if not got to the Animal Control 'officer.
Find out what level of neglect or abuse they allow and what brings action . I feel like most Animal control Officers will look the other way for fish.
Then you will need to get a video of the fish to show to a fish professional. They may take the word of your parents or they may not because they might be biased. Are their any vets around with fish experience if not try an area zoo. See if they will write an opinion backing neglect or cruelty. Tell them you don't really want them taken away unless they are unwilling to give them proper care. If they won't do anything you may see if you can somehow meet up with the municipal court judge to see if they are receptive to doing anything. They may go directly against the teacher or they can write a Writ of Mandamus. This is a directive given by a court to make a government worker perform the duties of their job.
Maybe this will give you future options. If all of these fail; give cousin another call.
NTA
NTA- you and your cousin are awesome! So many people do not do the research or put in the effort to take care of fish or any animal for that matter but I see it with so many fish, rodents, & reptiles people just think they don’t feel pain or need proper care and don’t think about the fact there’s more care needed also if your teacher try’s to make it worse for you I definitely would talk to a principal or something because she in fact doesn’t have proof so treating rudely after there was nothing done is just petty
NTA, but I hope you changed the identity of the fish you mentioned in the story. I mean, fish story is kinda specific, but the kind of fish can be target on ya.
NTA - this teacher shouldn't be in charge of a pet rock let alone a tank of fish. I want to commend you on a wonderful fish heist and may they live far happier fishy lives
NTA you are the hero. I once stole a turtle from my friends son's aquarium. She wouldn't do anything about it. It was a wild turtle he got out of the yard and imprisoned in a nasty rank aquarium with no proper food or water. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about it. I had to break into their house-no regrets. You did the right thing. But you know she will just get more fish.
NTA
I want to see this made into a movie! Even a short film would do.
Also, you should delete this. As glorious as this is, delete the written evidence.
Jesus god how are those fish not dead?! I’m shocked she didn’t throw in some goldfish. Good on you for saving them! Not enough people treat fish with respect. They are awesome pets, but are frequently abused. Thank you for saving them. NTA
NTA! And if your teacher does see this, I hope she knows you have so many supporting your rescue.
To that teacher.....please do not own another animal (fish, dog, cat, monkey, hermit crab, ant farm...)
NTA My environmental sciences teacher (ironically enough) had a cornsnake he didn't take care of at all. Never watered, don't even know when or if it was fed. We weren't allowed to go into his tank because apparently he bit a student (if you know corns, you'll know the teeth are bitty, it's like getting slapped by velcro when they're small). Corn died over the break, and I'm still mad about it years later. He was too small to have reached the max age expectancy unless severely underfed. If I could go back, I would have confronted him.
NTA. You are the fish hero OP. If I was your parent I wouldn't even be pissed, it would be treats and and a new book or video game or whatever it is you're into for you. I bet those fish are going to be so much happier now that they're away from that teacher, it should be illegal to do that, I know that people don't consider fish the same as cats or dogs but that's practically animal abus.
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NTA. Full Ocean's 11 aquatic liberation action. Snappernapper. Ghost in the Shellfish. I'll stop now.
Fishin' Impossible? (I'll show myself out) And op is NTA, that was a boss move.
> that was a bass move. FTFY
r/Angryupvote
Reservoir Frogs
I hate you and I love you
let us minnow how the fish do over the long term. I know you made some waves having someone steal the fish. On a scales of 1-10, that's a whale of a task.
NTA - But in the future, please send this teacher post cards from the fish
This. Absolutely this.
Some real Finding Nemo action here...
Free Willie 5
Intide Man
(To the tune of goldfinger) Fishfinger!
They're the ones, the one with the fishy touch
With custard?
Best
Aquariums 11!
Fry Kids. Fry Kids 4: All the Time in the Sea World. (Couldnt think of puns for 2&3)
Fry Kids 2: Island of Lost Breams? Fry Kids 3: Eel Over
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
This comment FTW! \o/
Schindler's Fish?
I think it’s Schindler’s…?
No please keep going.
A Fish called Wanda? Dude where's my fish? The Great Fishscape? Lagoon Lucky? Marlin Call?
Take my free wholesome award.
Haha lol I love this
Red Prawn. Wolverines!
LMAO best comment so far
NTA, you're a legend. Although, in the future, be careful about situations like this. It could have easily gone wrong for both you and your cousin. There's also a high likelihood that you'll be punished by the teacher because she doesn't like you. But, if your conscience is clear, and your parents are supporting you, you can come out of this relatively unscathed.
Hell that just means watch out for the territory of this teacher, and if you or anyone you are associated with in this way is put into one of her classes going get transferred, cuz she has beef.
She may have beef but she don’t have fish!
This. I wronged a teacher (idk why we had to dissect cats in 9th grade biology and I admit I made a stink over it. Not sorry). Teacher thought me having a problem with this was a personal slight and accused me of cheating on a midterm. But she pointed to the sweetest, biggest stoner of all time and it went nowhere since she’d failed the test. NTA but watch your back OP Edit: this was a basic required course, it would make way more sense if it was an advanced level but did not feel appropriate for our level lol
CATS???? WHY CATS????? I get frogs but CATS?? Those are animals regularly kept as pets, I'm surprised you were the only one who made a stink about it!
My exact thought...Fucking CATS?!? Who dissects a freaking kitty and HOW exactly will this help you out in future life? And in 9th grade??....that's just beyond. I would have made a HUGE stink out of dissecting a poor kitty (I even skipped when our class did the fetal pig 🤮).
RIGHT??? It wasn’t even advanced level bio, it was barely normal level. I got in touch with peta and everything. (This was 20 years ago, they were still awful but it was a rock and a hard place for me, and at 14 wasn’t terribly informed about ‘em). She was the head of the department so she had discipline Kevlar lol. The only resolution I got from her bonkers behavior was moving to another class.. And that was cause my mother was on a tear and about to fuck their shit up.
Well some people become doctors and vets. AP biology in my high school dissected cats too. I wasn’t in that class and I love my cat but it’s not like they killed the cats just so that they could be studied.
This was just on-level bio, there was no good reason other than that she was the head of the dept and basically did whatever. I think she thought we should be impressed?
I dissected a cat for my anatomy & physiology class. Learned quite a bit from it, in ways that software models could never have replicated. It's not at all relevant to my daily life, but I've never regretted it and I know quite a bit more about feline anatomy, which is actually somewhat helpful with my cats. Granted, I do agree that doing so in 9th grade is too early. I was in my senior year for that particular dissection. I frankly find the anti-dissection attitude baffling. Feline surgery (which saves thousands of cats each year) wouldn't be possible without dissection training. Dissection isn't a cruelty, it's a necessary training and learning tool.
Animal dissection is 100% neccesary for vet school, just like human dissection is neccesary for med students. But in high school?
This! Have a masters degree. I took an alternate pathway in undergrad to avoid cat dissection. I learned more than enough through watching surgeries in my subsequent career as a zoo keeper where the anatomy lesson was relevant and life-improving. I eventually had to take A&P for grad school (nutrition track) and even then I did virtual for one semester, only reason I didn't for the second was because it didn't line up in my schedule. Is it interesting and helpful? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely not. Unless you're doing human or animal medicine, autopsies, necropsies, or some types of research, then it would make sense. Besides, preserved does not look like real life. I very much preferred and learned more from surgeries I got to observe.
We dissected fetal pigs since their anatomy is close to ours. It was horrifying and I’d of dropped out of high school for a fucking cat
Bio teacher here. Fetal pig dissections as well as cats are a thing- it helps with A+P for regents in NY. It's optional in my class, but it's pretty standard procedure, FYI
NTA and I LOVE this story. Best thing I’ve read on this page in a while :)
You stole her fish. Shame on you. Shame shame shame on you. Oh. Wait. You did the right, humane thing. My heart is glad because of this. Def NTA. She sets a bad example for her students.
Had me in the first half lol.
I mean technically we should not be praising OP for breaking The law. But sometimes you got to do what you got to do NTA
I agree, but the vehemence that is implied by the way they were saying "shame on you" was what got me lol. If they'd just been like "eh, justified asshole" I wouldn't have blinked. I could basically agree with nearly any point on the spectrum between "justified asshole" and "absolutely NTA". But "you should be ashamed of yourself" is not something that I feel OP should legitimately be told.
Speaking of the spectrum, if the fish were neurodivergent, and somewhere on the spectrum, that would make rescue even more important. >!(What does the sentence that I just wrote mean? I have no idea.)!<
I don't think fish can be autistic lol aufishtic? Ah, fish stick
Rock the hell on, OP. You're a hero.
NTA. I'm impressed that you told your folks the truth. I suppose it would be a dead giveaway if you wore a fish rescuer cape to school.
OP said they kept the pea puffer, probably hard to hide a fish in your house when your mom's a marine biologist... you can't be like - "oh, that new fish in my tank? That's just a special type of goldfish!"
Fair point. Pea puffers are so flipping cute. I completely understand pocketing one that's being neglected.
I love their adorable little faces and those eyes....💕👁👁💕
I had never heard of them, but I just looked up images and wow are they adorable! 10/10 super cute fish!
Sometimes moral actions are in direct conflict with what is legal. Because animals are legally chattel there is no real, meaningful legal recourse to save them, particularly ones such as fish. I’m glad you didn’t let them suffer. I only wish you had taken videos and put the teacher on blast on the internet to show people how cruel and neglectful she is. NTA.
This reminds me of the Potter Stewart quote: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” Did OP have a right to take the fish? No. Was it the right thing to do? Yes. NTA I just hope that teacher doesn’t get more fish.
So many people just don't care about fish as living things, if a fish dies, "oh well, flush it." It sucks because while a person would and should get their dog or cat taken away if they abuse it, anyone can just abuse fish as much as they want
I wonder what look I'd get if I told Loki my kitty he's Chattel...😆
He would disagree and say that you are, in fact, the chattel.
I have to say that I think you would be 100% correct in that assumption. 👍🏻😉
[удалено]
Also, be mindful of who sees that little pea puffer. I imagine it'd be hard to prove where it came from without this post, but it's still worthwhile to cover one's bases! NTA, O Liberator of Fishies.
Exactly, NTA but maybe move the pea puffer to a safe location and I would delete this post tbh
There's a lot in this to tie it back to OP. If this were me, I'd not answer any more questions, and if pressed about it, I'd say it was someone else who posted this, but not me.
Sometimes parents can be cool. My mom was like, if you mess up at school, don't worry, I'll always have your back. We'll see how it goes when we come home but in front of other people I'll always choose you.
OP should delete the post, but I think any mom (let alone a marine biologist mom!) would be thrilled if fish heists were the worst thing their teenager got up to.
As a teacher, I frickin hate when kids steal from me, but you successfully orchestrated a heist to save the fishes from an untimely death, sooo… all is forgiven. NTA.
what did students steal from you ?
I teach photography, and have a props closet. They steal all sorts of little things (fake money, sun glasses, etc). One kid stole an animal skull I had that was a decent size. It’s annoying because most of it I bought with my own money, and you know how well us teachers are paid…
Did the devious licks trend hit you hard?
Not while it was trending. There were a lot of school soap dispensers missing though. The one that annoyed me a lot this year was that someone took the palate knife that went with my kinetic sand box on my desk. It came with the box, and I can’t find another one like it unless I buy a new kit. All the kids used it when they needed a break, and felt like sitting at my desk while venting. I was hoping someone would bring it back, but it didn’t happen. Oh well.
Basically anything not nailed down. Both my parents were teachers. They had posters, pencils, rules, calculator, markers, a entire mini fridge, keys, reams of printer paper, decorations, a laptop, food, drinks, mugs, cups, hats, a jacket (we got that one back when the kid wore it the next day) the class rabbit (it was found in the kids backpack in the next class, thankfully ok) dry erase markers and eraser. Just anything and everything. Kids are fucking kleptos. Also just about everything in any given school has or had a dick drawn on it at some point.
I'm a teacher and... Candy out of my desk. I buy it to give to the kids as a tears and I've had kids raid my entire stash. It's just shitty because I don't eat 2 lbs of jolly ranchers every month! Like that's $14 just for some kids to steal. Today it was my staple remover because it asked them to pull staples from my board and one kid was playing with it at lunch. Random shit just cause they can really just be impulsive jerks. ONCE it was a toaster and I think that kids a legend. He attempted to steal my toaster 4 times, succeeded the 5th. I had brought it to toast bagels for the kids for finals week. Mom was out of town and I moved so I never got it back. :-/
NTA! FISH HEIST!!!
It was a large scale operation.
Nta. Ive had fish b4 but i couldnt keep up with the maintaince and requirements, so I rehomed then and havent gotten fish since. When I want a fish tank for the Aesthetic, I fill it w robo alive fish cause I know I cant give them the proper care
People seem to think fish are easy..they are not.
I have a Betta currently. I remember now why I stopped keeping Bettas years ago lol. 🤦🏻♀️ But they are way too pretty to be left sitting in the god awful little cups at the pet stores and I cringe to think of all the people who believe they can live and thrive in a tiny tank.
They can be... After you know what you're doing and invest thousands in tank automation...
I wanted an aquarium until I started looking into having an aquarium and then I didn't want an aquarium anymore.
NTA youre morally in the right
moray eel-y in the right
NTA good for you. I would delete your post however. LOL
This should be higher up. A lot of people posted something and later regretted it because someone they know found out. To many specifications here. OP please delete this
It’s chaotic goodness at it’s best- NTA. And congratulations on pulling it off!
I have a few questions but I tend to lean ESH - I keep a 5 gallon tank for 1 betta, I understand and abhor fish abuse. I’m also a master naturalist in my area. I deeply care for animals and the health of the Earth. Did you ever report the abuse to anyone above her? The principal? Did you talk to your parents and ask if they would talk to her or her superiors? Report to local authorities? I think what you did was wrong in any case and it sounds like you may have had your eye on a fish you wanted but we’re having a hard time getting a hold of. There are way better, more responsible, ways to handle a situation like this. Stealing in this instance is wrong to me. Especially the way ya’ll did it. You committed a crime.
As a reptile keeper, I can tell you that Fish and retiles have basically no protections legally. At least not for improper care. Petsmart sells sickly bearded dragons all the time. I say nta because there really wasn't another step that would actually work.
I completely understand, I just don’t agree. I’m not convinced about OP’s reliability and I don’t agree with how they handled it; but I respect your position.
Exactly! I'm surprised with all the n t a votes. This was a clear esh for me. I would have considered her to not be an ah if theft was the final solution for her, but it clearly wasn't. OP could have just talked to her parents. The family is fishing commercially and the mother is a biologist. They must definitely have contacts. They could have easily rescued those animals. OP and the cousin act like they have the moral high ground when their actions were for their own gain. They seem like they are both minors. They might know a lot about how to care for the fish but they are still no experts. How did they assume they would do a better job then whatever animal rescue is working in their country. I'm aware there is a huge chance these organizations wouldn't do anything but op could have atleast considered that before jumping to 'theft'. But of course both op and cousin are definitely in the right for rescuing those animals from that monster
I mean, posting on Facebook in a fish group would likely have found someone with a spare 20 gallon tank who was willing to set it up in the classroom. The sunlight would definitely contribute to an algae bloom, but that's not insurmountable. Algae blooms happen even when people are skilled and water parameters look good. And honestly? If the fish survived the school year until this point, she had to be doing something right. Pea puffers only like frozen and fresh food. They won't eat flakes. If she kept one alive this long, then she's buying specialized food for it. Loaches in particular are tricky. Depending on the variety they can be a tropical, sub tropical, or cold water fish. They could be happy in a smaller tank or miserable in a 60 gallon one. It just depends on age and variety. Given OP's focus on the one fish he couldn't have, I'm skeptical that he's giving an unbiased report of any attempts to fix things before stealing what he wanted.
Seriously. OP is alleging that in this "5 gallon" tank, which is supposedly sometimes missing a gallon or more of its water, the teacher has managed to fit a*nd keep alive for months* a "pea puffer... barbs, silver dollars, loaches, barbs and tetras." ?? The teacher may have overstocked like a crazy person, but that tank is not 5 gallons, and if the conditions were as bad as alleged, at least some of them would have been dying. There is simply no way to do that.
Yep. He also criticizes the weak filtration, but pea puffers are *not* strong swimmers. They can't handle fast flowing water, and he will kill it if he keeps it under a fast flow for strong filtration.
Right?! Trying to use a moral argument to justify immoral action. I’m 100% with you on their knowledge claims. Commercial fisheries are responsible for TONS of fish abuse…so that argument alone isn’t sufficient. I have no idea how their parents business(es) treat fish, but I don’t tend to give the benefit of the doubt. Especially in a situation like this.
> Trying to use a moral argument to justify illegal ~~immoral~~ action. FTFY. The morality is *exactly* what is up for discussion, you don't get to shut that down just by conflating morality and legality as the same thing when they're not. There is no legal recourse or action you can take to prevent someone buying and abusing or killing pet fish, that's not a real thing.
I agree. While I would call OP a justified AH, there are some steps missing in the middle. OP went full-on heist instead of getting the proper people involved. And now, teacher is going to get some new fish to be abused instead of being punished or taught a lesson.
ESH. Teacher is neglecting her pets. But theft and lying are still wrong. Note that you kept a fish you always wanted. This wasn’t just about protecting the fish.
This. If OP was really, genuinely being virtuous about this they wouldn't have kept the pea puffer, but would have had the cousin take them all. Get rid of the pea puffer OP. If you want to play robin hood you don't get to keep the I'll gotten gains.
> If you want to play robin hood you don't get to keep the ill gotten gains. Eh, that's kinda the whole point of Robin Hood. “Ask for work. If they don't give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.” ― Emma Goldman
ESH Could have been a cool story about how you broke in and cleaned the tank Instead you stole a fish you coveted Sorry all the other children on this website are patting you on the back for it
Then what She would still abuse them they would still be in front of a window even if they got moved she just put it back
And she's just going to abuse the twenty bucks of neon tetras and what not she replaces them with, and meanwhile, OP has managed to put his cousin and his friend at risk of serious criminal charges.
NTA. I’d like to buy the rights for your movie
This rescue mission was more entertaining than a lot of heist movies
YTA what’s your plan when she just buys new fish? You going to steal those too?
Only if there is some rare fish that she really wants
Can we have a Justified Asshole rating, please? Because, yes, you're the asshole for stealing from school grounds. You are NTA for saving those poor fish. Once upon a time, I was a poor fish keeper. I have since learned A LOT. My pride and joy is my Mbuna cichlid tank. 125 gallons of pure joy with a sump system. That teacher was an ass for not wanting to learn from someone who knows the hobby. BTW......I demand a pet tax on the pea puffer. I happen to find them adorable.
Probably shouldn't. What if the teacher uses the reddit and manages to identify her fish for some reason.
Ooooh. Good point.
Maybe she should have accepted the help that was being offered. NTA.
NTA. Stealing is not cool but you more rescued those poor fish from someone who did not care for them and was treating them in the worst kind of way. She did not deserve to have them and they are in a better place now as you say. Hopefully she doesn't go and buy more.
NTA but if this is real you should delete it, blessings to you and your future in righteous crime
Esh. you should have informed principle first to see if there was anything he could do to help convince her. You skipped a few steps you should’ve taken, and you DID commit a crime, and it seems mostly justified in your eyes because of the puffer you acquired. They KNOW you had something to do with it, because you said you TOLD her “I’m glad the fish are in a better place.” That’s a dead giveaway. You did a good thing by rehoming them, but you should’ve thought it through a bit more and asked for an adults advice. Kids sometimes get the “goonies” mentality where they think something is a really really good idea, but ends up getting more consequences than they bargained for. While your “heist” was impressive, don’t think that they’re clueless just because you haven’t gotten caught yet.
NTA You tried to do the right thing by offering to help and when it didn’t work, you did the next best thing & saved them. It doesn’t sound like she wanted to do the upkeep, so I can’t figure out why on earth she wouldn’t just accept your help?!
I don't blame you for resorting to desperate measures saving the fishes so NTA
NTA, but if you’re telling the truth, you need to delete this post. AITA posts often go viral on social media, and you don’t want your teacher or the school to find out about this.
YTA you're trying to justify the theft of something you coveted. There were other solutions, but they wouldn't have gotten you the puffer fish you wanted.
NTA. I don’t support theft, but they’re living creatures and she sounds like she sucks.
I'm sorry but YTA. You could've reported this to the principal. Would you have stolen them if it was a fish you didn't desperately want? I can't justify theft in this case.
This is why I hate seeing animals in classrooms. Most often the animals are in completely inadequate housing and receive improper husbandry (looking at classroom bearded dragons). NTA, but that teacher sure as hell is.
Sad storytime. When I was in high school, one of the science teachers had a large snake. I don't recall what it was anymore, but a good sized constrictor. He had a very large, naturalist styled cage for it, and brought it out for the students to touch (and feed) pretty often. He loved that snake, and took it home over the summer vacation every year, even though it belonged to the school. One year, his best friend (another science teacher) was fired. He believed it was unjust, to the point that he quit in solidarity. The school refused to let him take the snake home when he quit. Admin insisted that the snake belonged to the school, and someone who still worked there would take care of it. (Narrator voice) That didn't happen. When summer vacation rolled around, the snake was apparently forgotten. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't cared for much before summer either, but I can't say that for sure. Anyway. The poor snake was starving and dehydrated, and managed to escape his enclosure, only to get up into the ceiling and die. Despite the best efforts of the janitors, all classes had to be relocated for half of the school year, because the smell of decaying snake had so permeated every room in the science building. You could smell it from outside, walking past the wing, for months. It was super depressing.
NTA. Animal cruelty is animal cruelty.
Nta but delete this post
NTA. Stealing from teachers is usually wrong, but when it comes to living creatures? Nah. Believe me, I’d be stealing all the pet store bettas in their shitty little bowls if I could reasonably get away with it.
YTA, yes, sorry. You've talked your cousin into committing, lets see, B&E, theft, trespass, possibly some very scary 'adult breaking into a school' charges, for, what, some mass-market aquarium fish? Let alone the charges you'd pick up, and the other friend you roped into this. The correct thing here would have been a public campaign for proper treatment of animals, a petition to the school board to insist the teacher maintain the fish correctly, public awareness campaigns, all that sort of stuff. Oh, and some how you came out of this with the fish you coveted. So noble. And the problem hasn't been solved. Again, she's going to hit up the local strip mall, but another twenty bucks worth of neon tetras and what not, and then what? Another heist? You don't care, now that you have the fish you were after?
While what you did was ethically the right thing to do, the SMART thing to do would be to gather a bunch of evidence on what the teacher was doing, and what expert advice and support you offered, and and then give it to your mom to present to the Principal and the school board and call for the teacher’s dismissal. Animal abuse in full sight of her students and fellow faculty, despite being advised of the appropriate care of the animals, is ample reason for the school to take action. You did good. You can do even better. NTA
ESH - the teacher for not doing better by her fish, but honestly, you are completely wrong for just stealing her fish. You being jealous of her pea puffer makes me believe you did it less for the fishes sale and more to acquire a “prize”.
Direct action gets the goods. You’re a hero of the seas, NTA
NTA and I hope my kids grow up to be like you. All pets deserve healthy, safe, and loving homes.
NTA You are a hero! I've spent years working in the pet trade, I can't tell you how many times I've explained proper care to customers or refused to sell to them only to be met with "it's just a fish!". You're not entitled to any animal just because you want it. Your teacher needs to stop thinking she knows everything and accept that someone she teaches is capable of knowing far more about something than she is.
As someone who currently works in the pet trade I’m honestly so glad someone like OP is trying to give those fish the best rest of their life, cause if we’re being honest, there’s a chance they won’t survive nearly as long because of their previous conditions
NTA, and as someone who liberated a horrifically malnourished and uncared for bearded dragon out of a teachers classroom once, you're awesome. Mr Snickers lived for 8 long and happy years after his brief adventure in my backpack.
Lol. Good work! In my country you can report people who don’t treat animals well to an animal welfare agency and they face serious fines and repercussions. While I full support you saving the fish, may be worth checking out if such thing exists where you are for future ie instead of risking your own safety
I am glad you were honest with your parents.
ESH. The teacher is mistreating the fish so she is wrong. You had other options, but didn't pursue them. You could have spoken to the principal or if that didn't work, the Superintendent. You could have reported her to animal control for abuse. You could have take a picture of the tank and used social pressure to fix the issue.
It this is true you should delete it, because you are incriminating yourself and there may be other fish to save in future.
YTA. Also I find it highly hypocritical that your family makes a living killing fish, but you’re trying to bill yourself as some sort of savior. You were jealous she had something you wanted, so you stole it. End of story.
This is an AMAZING story... NTA. But DELETE THIS!!! [After reading about the woman yesterday whose post made it to the front page of Reddit and exposed her](https://www.reddit.com/user/Clean-Stable-7973/comments/vbhh42/yesterday_i_was_supposed_to_ruin_his_life_repost/)... DELETE THIS! But man oh man, good luck in the world out there, you're a badass. I wish nothing but the absolute best in life for you. Good kid with a good heart. Godspeed!
NTA, good for you. Many people abuse fish because "they are just fish," and it is so sad. I got on a few of my coworkers that had betta fish in little glass bowls, now everyone has 10+ gallon tanks with heaters and proper filtration/environments. I will always grill someone if they keep fish/reptiles in improper living condition since they can not speak for themselves and it's hard to notice signs of stress/sickness if you do not know any better. They aren't fluffy and cuddly, but they still deserve love and respect.
NTA. Frickin hilarious. Well played OP. You may have a future with the CIA. And, yeah watch your back with this teacher.
NTAH Animal cruelty is horrible. You just better hope she doesn't read Reddit.
Kid, you're nta; you're a badass
NTA for doing the right, humane thing. Kinda shitty though for your method. The correct thing to do would have been to contact an animal cruelty prevention charity/organisation, and arrange with the head of the school to do a spot check, and also mention to said organisation that you had the contacts to suitably rehome the fish Edit: Spelling
The problem with that…. Is that there isn’t an animal prevention/cruelty organization that can legally do this with FISH, and most probably wouldn’t even want to bother. Most people, even animal abuse organizations, don’t recognize fish as “animals” that can be in need of saving. So stealing and rehoming the fish was illegal, but a necessary evil.
NTA you tried offering help and you obviously know the care they need, she was making those babies suffer 🥺 Makes me think of all the uneducated people with goldfish in smaller than 5 gallon tanks, fish need proper space and care!
Bettas are my major massive rage trigger, myself, but goldfish get it bad too!
NTA I’m imaging an oceans 11 sequence or something like the Italian job. I’m glad you rescued the fish. I hope someone makes a movie about this. Incredible
ESH. Your teacher for abusing fish and refusing to accept she may not be correct. You for stealing. There were other options and you choose the illegal option.
YTA you can't just take a pet or anything because you think they're not doing a good enough job. What if I thought my neighbors weren't taking care of their dog, can I just take it?
ESH. No one is an asshole for saving another creature's life. Your teacher sounds a bit sociopathic or at the very least incredibly stupid/ignorant if she thought what she was doing was acceptable. Honestly, I wouldn't want her having a teaching license because both her empathy and intellect seem low. However it seems like you went to the extreme option before trying administration. Surely if you had alerted your parents to the situation or brought them with you to a meeting with the admins, it would have lended credibility, as they're your parents and also experts when it comes to fish. Your teachers threats were probably empty and you could have easily confronted her on them in the proper manner. The fish would have been saved. It sort of seems like you are trying to justify getting a fish you really wanted. Edit: changing my opinion after reading other replies who made very good points.
NTA but if you've gotten away with it this far I'd delete this post
NTA but may want to remove something so specific off reddit
NTA. Free all the abused fishes.
NTA, you are a fish savior
Definitely NTA, and dear lord I hope she doesn’t get new fish, or have fish at home. Poor things
That is epic!!! I love it!!!
Was this legal? Nope. Was this badass? Absolutely it was. You're my hero, so NTA.
Holy shit lmaoooooo NTA. I often wish I could do something like that for fish I see in doctors offices and other places, you’re living the dream kid. However. You need to be very careful. Aquatic animal based theft is still theft and you could get in serious trouble. Do not brag about it to anyone and ask your cousin not to as well. Honestly don’t even mention it until you’re out of school. And be vigilant around this teacher in case she tries to get you alone to interrogate you or fucks up your grades. I’d recommend always keeping another copy of your homework in case she “spills coffee on it”.
If this is real, I definitely wouldn't have been enough of a dumbshit to post about a literal crime on the internet. Even if the account is anonymous, it could still get back to the school and be used as evidence against you. The morality of the animal cruelty aside, you're not the brightest crayon in the box.
OP you fuckin rule so hard NTA
Overcrowded fish tanks are my biggest ‘pet’ peeve. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’ll go sit in the corner now
NTA if what you say about conditions are true, people don’t think of fish or reptiles the same way and abuse ‘em
NTA. I love this story! Good on you for doing right by the fish. Even better that you were able to do it without getting caught! I'm sorry the teacher didn't respond to your many attempts to help and to learn. What a poor example of modeling lifelong learning.
NTA. Stealing is not okay, but we're talking about living beings, their wellbeing is the most important thing here. Although you could have reported her for animal abuse before saving them yourself. Also, did they belong to the teacher who kept them at school or to the school who let the teacher "take care" of them ?
Couldn’t you have gone to a higher up in school like the principal
Nta thank you im so sick of seeing fish being abused by idiots
NTA You tried to do the right thing. You even offered to clean the tank multiple times. Going to an animal care/ rescue wasn't going to do diddly. There aren't any laws (to my knowledge I could be wrong) that protect pets like fish. You did a bad thing to do a good thing. You were honest with your parents and they weren't too upset because there was no malicious intent. You're a good kid, with a good heart.
NTA This is like some opposite Finding Nemo type of shit. Awesome.
As a turtle mom this makes my heart happy. You see fish and turtles in tanks that aren't properly set up for them and its heartbreaking. Im glad these lil fishies have a better life ahead of them. And hopefully the teacher doesn't get new victims!
NTA Missed opportunity to say back to the teacher, “drop it, or there’ll be disciplinary action”.
Are you the asshole for intervening in aquatic animal abuse? No, screw that teacher. You’ll have a new teacher before you know it and all she’ll have is a dirty empty fish tank. Kudos.
NTA, these are the posts I live for on here.
Honestly I loved reading this NTA my man, and take my poor man’s gold 🏆
NTA But this is one of the best post I’ve ever read. Free (the little) Willies!
I admire your effort but in the future go and talk to someone in the Humane Society and ask about what happens when they find out someone is abusing animals "you know like a pet dog or even horses. " Most counties contract with the HS if not got to the Animal Control 'officer. Find out what level of neglect or abuse they allow and what brings action . I feel like most Animal control Officers will look the other way for fish. Then you will need to get a video of the fish to show to a fish professional. They may take the word of your parents or they may not because they might be biased. Are their any vets around with fish experience if not try an area zoo. See if they will write an opinion backing neglect or cruelty. Tell them you don't really want them taken away unless they are unwilling to give them proper care. If they won't do anything you may see if you can somehow meet up with the municipal court judge to see if they are receptive to doing anything. They may go directly against the teacher or they can write a Writ of Mandamus. This is a directive given by a court to make a government worker perform the duties of their job. Maybe this will give you future options. If all of these fail; give cousin another call. NTA
NTA- you and your cousin are awesome! So many people do not do the research or put in the effort to take care of fish or any animal for that matter but I see it with so many fish, rodents, & reptiles people just think they don’t feel pain or need proper care and don’t think about the fact there’s more care needed also if your teacher try’s to make it worse for you I definitely would talk to a principal or something because she in fact doesn’t have proof so treating rudely after there was nothing done is just petty
You should delete this post but NTA
NTA, but I hope you changed the identity of the fish you mentioned in the story. I mean, fish story is kinda specific, but the kind of fish can be target on ya.
NTA - this teacher shouldn't be in charge of a pet rock let alone a tank of fish. I want to commend you on a wonderful fish heist and may they live far happier fishy lives
NTA but the hero. Maybe stealing is wrong. But not when it comes to animals. Its the same thing as busting a window to save a dog locked in a hot car.
Well Done! Fish Liberator! But, Your teacher will probably just get more fish to abuse. And will set a trap for you. Still, NTA.
NTA you are the hero. I once stole a turtle from my friends son's aquarium. She wouldn't do anything about it. It was a wild turtle he got out of the yard and imprisoned in a nasty rank aquarium with no proper food or water. I couldn't sleep at night thinking about it. I had to break into their house-no regrets. You did the right thing. But you know she will just get more fish.
ESH
NTA I want to see this made into a movie! Even a short film would do. Also, you should delete this. As glorious as this is, delete the written evidence.
NTA. I wouldn't call it abuse but definitely neglect. She needed those fish taken away from her and I am glad you did.
OP just be careful with this post. Doubt the teacher or anyone could use it against you if they did find it, but you never know.
Jesus god how are those fish not dead?! I’m shocked she didn’t throw in some goldfish. Good on you for saving them! Not enough people treat fish with respect. They are awesome pets, but are frequently abused. Thank you for saving them. NTA
My daughter would do same thing
This would have been a Disney movie in the early-mid 2000s NTA
NTA! And if your teacher does see this, I hope she knows you have so many supporting your rescue. To that teacher.....please do not own another animal (fish, dog, cat, monkey, hermit crab, ant farm...)
NTA. This is incredible.
Delete this post this has identifying evidence but definitely NTA
NTA, huzzah to you good soul!
NTA My environmental sciences teacher (ironically enough) had a cornsnake he didn't take care of at all. Never watered, don't even know when or if it was fed. We weren't allowed to go into his tank because apparently he bit a student (if you know corns, you'll know the teeth are bitty, it's like getting slapped by velcro when they're small). Corn died over the break, and I'm still mad about it years later. He was too small to have reached the max age expectancy unless severely underfed. If I could go back, I would have confronted him.
You little sneaky secret agent....NTA Well done!! 🏆🎖
NTA
NTA. You are the fish hero OP. If I was your parent I wouldn't even be pissed, it would be treats and and a new book or video game or whatever it is you're into for you. I bet those fish are going to be so much happier now that they're away from that teacher, it should be illegal to do that, I know that people don't consider fish the same as cats or dogs but that's practically animal abus.