A SUNFISH that was literally dying of loneliness has been saved with a group of cardboard cutouts friends keeping it company.
The fish became unwell when the Kaikyokan aquarium where it lives in Shimonoseki, southern Japan, was temporarily closed for renovations in December.
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It refused to tuck into its usual jellyfish diet and began mournfully rubbings its body against the walls of glass tank.
Mai Kato, who works at the aquarium, told Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun that the sunfish, which arrived at the aquarium a year ago, had a “curious” personality and would usually “swim up to visitors when they approached the tank”.
Keepers had various theories for what might be dampening its spirits, including a case of parasites or digestive issues – but these diagnoses were proved wrong.
When content, the fish enjoys waving its fins around in the water.
With suggestions running dry, the staff even resorted to waving themselves to try and coax a reaction – but to no avail.
Then, one staff member had the idea that the fish might be missing the human visitors that usually appear on the other side of the glass.
They revealed on X that initially they “thought 99% chance ‘No way!'” was that the fish’s issue.
It was a bizarre theory, but workers at the aquarium decided to test it out as a “last resort”.
The team created a crowd of cardboard-cutout people to line up and peer into the watery world.
These fake friends were constructed from cardboard faces taped to the glass above uniforms hanging on clothe hooks.
Unbelievably, when they returned the next morning, the sunfish had turned a corner and was back to its bubbly self.
Staff said the fish obviously “felt better” and was seen “waving its fins” in the tank.
The aquarium announced on X: “It seems to be in good health again!”
A picture shared by the aquarium shows the sunfish bobbing around, with one big eye starting squarely at the cardboard crew.
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The unlikely story has made a splash on social media, with delighted users flooding to share their joy at the fish’s improved mood.
Some share photos and videos they had snapped of the fish on previous occasions, and others made promises to go and visit it when the aquarium reopened its doors.
Sunfish are notoriously difficult to care for, which means they are rarely found in aquariums around the world.
They are, however, present in every ocean around the world and are a delicacy in Japan.
The individual kept at the Kaikyokan aquarium is about 31 inches long and weighs almost 30kg – but sunfish have been known to reach a staggering 1,900kg and 3.3 metres across.
It is expected – withstanding any future fatal bout of loneliness – to live to around 10 years old.
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