Japan aquarium uses human cutouts to cheer up solitary fish

Solitary sunfish stops eating during Japanese aquarium’s temporary closure
A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fishtank and appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations.
Fishes Too Feel 'Lonely': Japan Aquarium Uses Human Cutouts To Cheer Up Sunfish
A sunfish at Japan's Kaikyokan Aquarium became unwell, possibly due to loneliness caused by the lack of visitors during renovations that began in December 2024. To cheer it up, staff decorated its tank with photos of faces and uniforms,
Japanese aquarium cheers up lonely sunfish with cardboard cutouts of people
How do you perk up a lonely fish? This may sound like the start of a particularly silly joke, but it was a very real challenge faced by staff at a Japanese aquarium when they noticed their sunfish was ailing.
Lonely, ailing sunfish perks up after human cutouts placed outside tank
TOKYO — A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in southwestern Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fishtank and appeared unwell days after the facility closed last month for renovations. As a last-ditch measure to save the popular fish, its keepers hung their uniforms and set up human cutouts outside the tank.
‘Lonely’ Sunfish Comforted by Cardboard Cutouts of People After Aquarium Closes Due to Renovations
An aquarium in Japan is getting creative when it comes to cheering up its fish! The Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, Japan, which is closed as it undergoes renovations, revealed in a post on X that its staff had to think out of the box to help one of its sunfish struggling with the change.
Japanese Aquarium Puts Cutouts Of People To Comfort Lonely Sunfish
An aquarium in Japan has come up with a unique and out-of-the-box idea to cheer up its lonely resident sunfish after the facility closed for renovations.
Japan aquarium cheers up 'lonely' sunfish with staff uniforms, portraits on tank
A sunfish at a municipal aquarium undergoing renovation in this west Japan city became unwell, but recovered after its tank
"Maybe It Became Lonely" — Aquarium Staff In Japan Comforts Sunfish With Smiley Cutouts
The Japanese aquarium posted a photo on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on 3 January, showing the sunfish named Mambo swimming in its tank, surrounded by cutouts of smiling faces and staff uniforms on hangers stuck to the glass. The heartwarming but hilarious post has gone viral, receiving more than 12.5 million views and comments.
Lonesome sunfish in Japan aquarium finds comfort in cardboard faces
SHIMONOSEKI: A lonely ocean sunfish in a Japanese aquarium, which seemed to be missing its human visitors and caretakers during the facility’s closure, has found a surprising source of comfort.
Sunfish Saved by Creative Care at Japanese Aquarium
A sunfish at a Japanese aquarium became ill after the facility closed for renovations. In a novel attempt to help, aquarium staff used uniforms and human cutouts to simulate a crowd, prompting the sunfish to eat and recover.
Japan aquarium tapes pictures of humans to tank for sunfish 'lonely' during closure
An aquarium in Japan has come up with a creative solution to cheer up a “lonely” sunfish who is missing humans during the venue's closure for refurbishment. Staff at the Kaikyokan aquarium in Shimonoseki,
Sunfish that got sick after aquarium closed has recovered — thanks to human cutouts
A solitary sunfish at an aquarium in Japan lost its appetite, began banging into the side of the fishtank and appeared unwell ...
Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
Staff members believe the sunfish stopped eating when the aquarium was temporarily closed because it was lonely.