The aquarium sticks photos of people on the aquarium for “lonely” sunfish

An outgoing sunfish, who reportedly missed an audience during the temporary closure of her aquarium in Japan, took solace in an unusual way.

A photo released by the Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimanoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture shows a sunfish swimming in front of photographs of human faces attached to a series of shapes.

The move was a “last resort” to address the sunfish’s health problems, which staff believed were caused by isolation, the aquarium said on its X account earlier this month.

And it apparently worked. “Seems to be in good health again!” aquarium wrote to X the next day.

After the aquarium was closed for renovations in December, the sunfish stopped eating jellyfish and started rubbing its body against the aquarium, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on Monday.

Some staff initially suspected parasites or digestive problems, but one suggested the fish may have been lonely when visitors didn’t show up in its tank.

Sunfish, found in all oceans of the world, are a delicacy in Japan. They are believed to be able to live up to 10 years in captivity, although they are not commonly seen in aquariums due to the careful care required to house them.

The Kaikyokan sunfish is about 80 cm (31 in) long and weighs almost 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 “swimmed up to visitors as they approached the aquarium.”

After the photos and form appeared, the fish “felt better” the next day and was seen “flapping its fins” in the aquarium, the aquarium said in a statement to X.

The post was met with a wave of support from social media users. Some shared photos and videos they had taken on previous visits, while others promised to go see her when the aquarium reopened.

This is not the first time that a Japanese aquarium has offered innovative solutions to entertain the animals under their care.

During the pandemic, as zoos around the world reported that their animals were becomes lonely due to lack of visitorsAquarium in Tokyo organized “emergency” video call for his acnewho they thought was uncomfortable with people after not seeing them for a long time.