A social sunfish that reportedly lost its human audience during the temporary closure of its aquarium in Japan has been consoled in an unconventional way.
In a photo posted by the Kaikyōkan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a sunfish is seen swimming in front of pictures of human faces hung on a row of uniforms.
The move was a “last resort” to resolve the sunfish's health issues, which one employee believes were caused by loneliness, the aquarium said on its X account earlier this month.
And it seems to have worked. “He seems to be healthy again!” The sink wrote on the X the next day.
After the aquarium was closed for renovation in December, the sunfish stopped eating jellyfish and began rubbing its body against the aquarium, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported on Monday.
Some employees initially suspected parasites or digestive problems, but one suggested that the fish was probably lonely without visitors to its tank.
Sunfish, found in all the world's oceans, are considered 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 careful care required to house them.
The Kaikiokan sunfish is about 80 cm (31 in) long and weighs about 30 kg (66 lb).
Mai Kato, one of the employees, told the Mainichi Shimbun that the sunfish, which arrived at the aquarium a year ago, had a “curious” personality and “swim close to visitors when they approached the aquarium.”
After the photos and uniform appeared, the fish “felt better” the next day and was seen “waving its fins” in the tank, the aquarium said in its X post.
The post was greatly appreciated by social media users. Some shared photos and videos they had taken of sunfish on previous visits, and others promised to go and see them when the aquarium reopened.
This is not the first time a Japanese aquarium has come up with innovative solutions to entertain the animals in its care.
During the pandemic, zoos around the world reported that their animals were Feeling lonely due to lack of visitorsTokyo Aquarium Systems An “emergency” video call happened to her snakesWhich they thought had become uncomfortable around humans after not seeing them for so long.
