support@headlinenews360.com
Last Updated:
To create the illusion of people observing the fish, the staff members printed cardboard cut-outs of visitors wearing clothes and attached them to the aquarium.
The aquarium revealed that the fish are in good health again. (Photo Credits: X)
The Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki has been undergoing renovations since December 2024. With the aquarium closed to the public, staff members observed a concerning shift in a sunfish’s behaviour in the aquarium. The fish, accustomed to the presence of visitors, began exhibiting signs of stress, including a loss of appetite for its usual jellyfish meals and an unusual habit of rubbing its body against the tank walls, reported the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.
Recognising the impact of social isolation on the sunfish, the Japanese aquarium staff decided to take action. Instead of simply waiting for the renovations to conclude, they devised an innovative solution to combat loneliness and provide its resident sunfish a form of companionship during the period of closure.
Sharing about the same on X, the aquarium posted that the fish felt a little unwell right after the closure. They added that the staff first suspected the sunfish had developed digestive issues or was infected by parasites. Later, they began to consider other reasons.
“We didn’t know the cause and tried various things to deal with it, but one of the staff members said, “Maybe he’s lonely without the visitors?” I was 99 per cent sure that couldn’t be the case, but I stuck up some staff uniforms as a last resort.”
To create the illusion of people observing the fish, the staff members printed cardboard cut-outs of visitors wearing clothes and attached them to the aquarium. Days later, the aquarium informed us that the fish appeared comforted by the fake guests’ presence.
They added, “Recently, it has been swimming in front of the tank and waving its fins, so it seems to be in good health again! Honestly, I can’t believe it, but the one currently on display is very curious and would come over when there were visitors, so it may have been in poor health when it suddenly disappeared.”
Actually, I felt a little unwell right after the museum closed. We didn’t know the cause of the problem and tried various measures, but one staff member said, “Maybe it’s lonely because there are no visitors.” I thought 99% of the time, “That can’t be true!”, but with a glimmer of hope, I pasted on the staff’s uniforms. Then…I felt better the next day! — Official Shimonoseki Aquarium “Kaikyokan” (@shimonoseki_aq) January 3, 2025
The post regarding the sunfish quickly went viral, attracting more than 13 million views till now. This unique approach to addressing the sunfish’s loneliness until the renovations are complete has garnered attention and praise, demonstrating the lengths to which dedicated animal care professionals will go to ensure the comfort and happiness of their charges.
Meanwhile, the Kaikyokan Aquarium is not the first one in Japan to use such creative ideas to keep the fish cheerful. During the 2020 COVID lockdown, Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo used a similar strategy to keep its 300 spotted garden eels active. They set up tablets facing the tank and asked volunteers to FaceTime the creatures and push them to come out from their hiding spots in the tank.
