A Sunfish At This Japanese Aquarium Was Feeling Lonely So Workers Made Cardboard Humans To Keep It Company
In a creative resolution, the team cut out human faces from printed cardboards and paired them with staff uniforms in front of the sunfish’s tank.
An ocean sunfish at the Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, Japan, has found surprising comfort in cardboard “human friends” after struggling with health issues during the aquarium's renovation closure.
Since the aquarium shut down for renovations in December 2024, workers noticed the previously sociable sunfish began rubbing against its tank walls and refusing food.
At first, staff suspected digestive problems caused by parasites.
However, after initial remedies failed, one team member suggested the fish might be missing human company.
In response, the team crafted cardboard cutouts of human faces paired with staff uniforms and placed the cardboard humans in front of the sunfish’s tank.
The aquarium noticed a positive influence on the sunfish's behavior immediately.
“And then…my health improved the next day!” The aquarium wrote in a post on X on Jan. 3.
With the aquarium set to reopen in six months, staff said they are optimistic about the sunfish's continued recovery.
“I hope many people take interest in the sunfish, and when the renovation work is finished, I’d like visitors to wave to it in front of the tank,” exhibit staff member Mai Kato told Mainichi Shimbun.
The sunfish arrived at the aquarium from Shikoku Island in February 2024, weighing nearly 30 kg and measuring 80 cm long.
Its ocean species holds the record as the world's heaviest bony fish and can weigh up to 2,200 kg.
Almost reached out but Kaikyokan Aquarium declined to comment.
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