It was overwhelming when we first walked in.......the amazing view of all sorts of fish swimming in schools and huge whale sharks floating right past our eyes. They are the largest fish in all of the oceans. Because of being in captivity, they are only half the size that they would be in the wild.The acrylic walls of the tank are two feet thick....an amazing feat of technology.
I loved the Beluga whales the best. I posted a picture of them this morning. Some of these wonders were rescued from an amusement park in Mexico. They had a roller coaster in action over their tank. Needless to say, they were not in very good health when they came to Georgia.
What really made the difference was our backstage tour with Amy. She is the sister of David and Erika's friend from Chicago. She is the veterinarian for the Aquarium. She has worked at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Brooklyn Zoo in New York. She really knows her stuff.
We were allowed to walk on the catwalk above the big tank where the whale sharks swim. He would go round and round swimming on top of the water right under our feet. We could not help but be awed by this huge shark heading straight for us.
The animals are so well fed and taken care of that it lessened my sadness that they don't have the whole big ocean to swim in.
For the most part God didn't make it possible for us to see what is going on under the water. That is by His design. This Aquarium is a small glimpse into a wonderland that is mostly hidden from our eyes.
Thank you dear Lord for the beauty of the sea creatures that you spoke into existence.
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures..........So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm according to their kinds." And God said that it was good.
Genesis 1: 20 & 21
i knew that i would love it and i did.......c
3 comments:
Lovely blogspot however I think you might benefit from adopting a more informed view of marine animals trapped in prisons called aquariums. And since you rely on the Bible, read and ponder Job 40, 41. We cannot and should not try to tame the great leviathan: God created these for his own pleasure, not ours.
Thanks for the comment....this is my response:
The book of Job immortalizes an era in Job's life when he was tested and God's character was revealed.
The Behemoth and the Leviathan described in Job chapters 41&42 are massive creatures, one land and one in the sea, that were created by our mighty God.
Some commentators believe that these giant creatures were from the dinosaur species which fit all of the characteristics listed in these chapters.
The point of this reference is for God to reveal to Job His sovereignty and control over all things that He created no matter how big, powerful, and ferocious, and in doing so to teach Job to trust Him in his suffering even if he didn't understand the reason.
As I stated in my blog the fish and animals at the Aquarium are well taken care of and provide a small glimpse into the mystery of the undersea world providing another reason to praise and worship our creator God.
I think it is always important for us as followers of Christ to be good stewards of the earth that He has given us. I'm not sure it follows that keeping animals in an aquarium is bad stewardship any more than it is bad stewardship to domesticate any other animal.
I do think the Job passage is a great passage about the power and sovereignty of God. These large fish are incredile creatures. It seems to me that being able to see these creatures up close is a privilege. These large fish, along with the rest of creation, are revealing God's existence to the extent that man is without excuse as they seek to deny His existence. (Romans 1:20)
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