rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/tell-lausd-live-animals-are-not-prizes?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-tell-lausd-live-animals-are-not-prizes' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Sara Marti https://actionnetwork.org/users/sara-marti/profile https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg We are asking the Los Angeles Unified School District to adopt a clear districtwide policy prohibiting live animals from being used as prizes, incentives, giveaways, gifts or promotional items at school events. This campaign began after live betta fish were given away as carnival prizes at an LAUSD elementary school. Children left the event unexpectedly responsible for living animals, and within hours, parents were already looking for new homes for fish they did not want or were not prepared to care for. Local pet stores ran out of supplies, while parents scrambled for days to find appropriate tanks and equipment for animals that had suddenly been placed in their care. We initially believed LAUSD's existing policies regarding live animals might already prohibit this practice. Instead, we learned that LAUSD has procedures through which events involving live animals as prizes can be approved. That's the policy gap we're asking LAUSD to close. Living animals are not objects. Fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and stress. Bettas have specific physical and behavioral needs, including appropriate space, warm and conditioned water, good water quality, enrichment and ongoing care. They can live for years. Yet bettas are commercially bred on a massive scale and treated as inexpensive consumer products. Their ability to survive in small volumes of water has made them particularly easy to package, transport, display and distribute. At the event that prompted this campaign, live fish were displayed individually in small plastic cups and awarded to children who won a carnival game. A living being should never be reduced to a prize. Using an animal as a reward turns that animal into an object of entertainment. Their welfare becomes secondary to the momentary excitement of winning a game. Some fish given away as prizes will undoubtedly receive excellent care. Others may not. Animal welfare should not be left to chance. But the ethical problem exists regardless of the eventual outcome: a sentient animal should never have been a carnival prize in the first place. There is an environmental cost behind a fish in a plastic cup. The commercial betta trade is a global supply chain. Bettas sold in the United States are commercially bred on a large scale, individually packaged for transport, commonly shipped internationally by air, moved through importers and distributors, and ultimately held individually at retail. The University of Florida estimates that more than 100,000 male bettas are shipped by air each week, primarily from Thailand. Each inexpensive fish represents a much larger supply chain involving breeding, water, packaging, international transportation and distribution. Using living animals as carnival prizes creates additional demand for that system for something schools simply do not need. There is also a broader environmental concern when unwanted aquarium animals are released. Wildlife agencies warn people never to release aquarium animals into the environment. Aquarium releases are one pathway through which nonnative aquatic species can enter natural ecosystems, where some introduced species can compete with native wildlife, spread diseases or parasites, prey on native species and alter habitats. Schools teach children about conservation, waste reduction, responsible consumption and protecting the natural world. Using commercially bred and transported living animals as disposable entertainment sends the opposite message. The lesson we teach children is important. Schools don't just teach through textbooks. They teach through the choices adults make and the practices we normalize. When a living animal is handed to a child as a carnival prize, we send the message that another sentient being can be treated as a reward, a novelty or an object of entertainment. It also conflicts with the environmental values we teach our children. Schools encourage students to reduce waste, conserve resources, protect wildlife and understand that our choices have consequences. Using commercially bred animals that have been individually packaged and transported long distances as disposable entertainment sends the opposite message. We can create all of the fun, excitement and tradition of a school carnival without involving a living animal at all. Children don't need to win animals to have an amazing day. California has already shown us another way. The City of Berkeley prohibits live fish from being used as prizes at fairs. In 2024, after live fish were awarded as prizes at the San Mateo County Fair, public advocacy led organizers to update their vendor contract to prohibit live animal prizes. In 2025, the San Joaquin County Fair followed with a commitment to prohibit live animals as prizes in future vendor agreements. The fairs didn't disappear. Their traditions didn't disappear. They simply replaced one unnecessary practice. LAUSD can do the same. What we're asking LAUSD to adopt We ask LAUSD to amend its policies and procedures to establish the following districtwide standard: Live animals may not be offered, awarded, raffled, sold, distributed, transferred or given away as prizes, incentives, gifts, promotional items or party favors at any District-sponsored activity or at any activity conducted on District property. This prohibition should apply to activities organized by schools, parent organizations, booster organizations, nonprofit organizations, vendors and other third parties, regardless of whether participation requires payment, tickets, donations or other consideration. We're not asking LAUSD to eliminate school carnivals, beloved traditions or opportunities for children to learn about animals. We're asking LAUSD to establish one simple ethical standard: Living animals are not prizes. Please join us in asking LAUSD to make that clear districtwide. Sara G. Marti, in partnership with Betta World for Bettas https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-lausd-live-animals-are-not-prizes