Lonely sunfish in Japan get cardboard human friends
A friendly sunfish that was reportedly missing its human visitors during the temporary closure of its aquarium in Japan has been consoled in an unconventional way.
In a photo posted by the Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, sunfish are seen swimming in front of pictures of human faces attached to a line of uniforms.
The aquarium said on its X account earlier this month that the move was a “last resort” to resolve the sunfish’s health issues, which a staff member believed was caused by loneliness. Was born.
And apparently it worked. “Looks like he’s in good health again!” Aquarium wrote on X the next day.
After the aquarium closed for renovation in December, the sunfish stopped eating jellyfish and started rubbing its body against the tank, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Monday.
Some staff members initially suspected parasites or digestive problems, but one of them suggested that the fish might have become lonely due to the lack of visitors in the tank.
Sunfish, found in every ocean of the world, is a delicacy in Japan. They are thought to be able to live up to 10 years in captivity, although they are not commonly found in aquariums due to the meticulous care required for their host.
Sunfish in Caciocan grow to about 80 cm long (31 in) and weigh about 30 kg (66 lb).
Mai Kato, a staff member, told the Mainichi Shimbun that the sunfish, which arrived at the aquarium a year ago, had a “curious” personality and would “swim up to them when they approached the tank”.
After the photos and uniform arrived, the fish “felt better” the next day and was seen “waving its fins” in the tank, the aquarium said in its X post.
This post has received a lot of support from social media users. Some people shared photos and videos of the sunfish taken on previous visits, and others promised to visit the aquarium when it reopened.
This is not the first time that a Japanese aquarium has come up with innovative solutions to entertain the animals in its care.
During the pandemic, as zoos around the world reported that their animals were Feeling lonely due to lack of visitorsAn aquarium in Tokyo organized a “Emergency” video call event for its eelsWhich he believed had caused them to become uncomfortable with humans due to not being able to see them for long periods of time.
