Kaikyokan Oceanarium
I was used to seeing visitors to the oceanarium where I was. When it closed for renovation, the fish was depressed. The staff had to find a solution.
At the Kaikyokan oceanarium in Shimonoseki, in southern Japan, a sociable sunfish was used to interacting with humans who passed by. In December 2024, however, the space closed for rehabilitation and the fish felt alone.
The fish actually ended up getting sick.
He stopped eating his jellyfish meals and started rubbing his body against the aquariumin the attitude of an animal contaminated by parasites or with digestive problems.
The team, quoted by the guarantee, thought: “Maybe they feel lonely because they miss the visitors? We think, with 99% certainty, ‘It couldn’t be!’”.
But, just in case, the people at the oceanarium had a creative idea: glue fake people to the glass.
The figures were made from cardboard cutouts and had drawn faces and aquarium uniforms on hangers attached to the glass. They looked like scarecrows and, to the animal’s less detailed look, they actually resembled humans.
Big surprise: the sunfish recovered.
Apparently, what the animal was missing was the human presence. The space’s employees also began to wave and pay more attention to the animal, which after all just wanted some company.
The sunfish can weigh up to 1,900 kg and measure up to 3.3 meters in length. It is an animal that, when free, swims in the open sea, and has washed ashore in Portugal and Spain, but also in the USA or even Australia.
This fish is smaller than usual for the species, but it has the usual characteristics of the sunfish, including its bullet-shaped body and long fins.
“I honestly can’t believe it, but the species currently on display is very curious and often approaches visitors, so it’s possible that it suddenly disappeared and wasn’t feeling well. Recently, tin a state watching in front of the aquarium and waving, so he appears to be in good health!”, writes an employee on the oceanarium’s website.
