Are the fish lonely?

The health of a sunfish in an aquarium in Japan began to deteriorate after visitors were absent during renovations.

The staff of an aquarium in Japan decided to place images of non-existent visitors to the tank where a sunfish was housed, after realizing that it had begun to look bad, perhaps because of loneliness.

The aquarium Kaikyokan of Shimonoseki, Japan closed for renovations last December, and since then, the fish started to look bad. The animal suddenly stopped eating jellyfish and started rubbing its body against the side of the tank.

The first thought of the aquarium staff was that the sunfish had parasites or digestive problems. But someone suggested that maybe it was just lonely, since it was used to having visitors and getting close to them, a friendly aspect the fish was known for.

They tried taping large photos of human faces on the side of the tank and hanging clothes from those photos to give the impression that people were looking into the tank. The next day, the fish regained their appetite and seemed generally happier.

The sunfish was already one of the aquarium's most popular attractions thanks to its friendly nature. "It was curious and swam towards visitors when they approached the tank," says staff member Mai Kato.

Kato also hopes that the fish's relationship with visitors will resume when the aquarium reopens in the summer.

Original news from The Maninichi newspaper


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