Carponizer calendar is not your traditional wall calendar, as it puts a sensual aquatic spin to the months ahead. The hot models and the carp take centre stage while the days of the month are squished to the bottom in a single line.
The Carponizer Karpfenkalender 2023 carp fishing calendar is listed on Amazon with 4 ratings and 3 stars and it doesn’t appear to be a door-crasher item. However, the product listing does get people talking about the ethics behind the photographs.
In many of the photos, the models look graceful and content while holding the carp effortlessly but it does raise the question if these carps are lifeless. Carps aren’t natural posers to lock eyes with the camera so people started to assume these fishes were killed for the sake of props.
If you thought these fishes were killed for a few clicks, that’s a savage course of action and it’s the wrong answer. Hendrik Pöhler founded the calendar back in 2014 said: “The fish are of course alive and are not killed for the shoot but released back into the water after the shoot.”
It’s not an easy task to look elegant next to a slimy creature. Although the models make it look effortless, that’s far from the truth. “The carp are slimy and wet, it is not easy to hold it,” he explained. “So that the fish is doing well, we have to keep it wet at all times. Also, the carp are very heavy.”
There is a carp recruitment process and not all of them end up in the hands of beauty. “If the fish escapes from us, then we won’t get it back either. But we have enough anglers at the lake so we can switch to an alternative but the carp must also be perfect. We don’t take every carp.”
According to Hendrik, the women paired with the carps is a winning combination and key to their success. “What goes best with good-looking carp?” he asked. “Scantily clad women, of course,” he replied.
Elisa Allen, PETA’s Vice President of Programmes, has a different perspective on this photoshoot. She said: “Whoever made this calendar seems to be appealing to the same type of sociopaths who find sexual excitement in snuff porn. Despite the company’s claim to the contrary, it’s simply not possible to take these photos without causing serious — or even fatal — harm to the animals involved.”
She added: “Fish are not sporting equipment or photo props — they’re individuals with distinct personalities and complex social structures.”
Even if sociopaths want to place an order, they are out of luck since the calendar is currently unavailable for sale on Amazon.