Japanese aquarium places cardboard cutouts of people near tank of singular sunfish to cure its loneliness

An aquarium in Japan is using cardboard cutouts of visitors to cheer up its lonely resident sunfish who stopped eating after the building closed to real-life visitors.

Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, southern Japan has been closed to the public for renovations since December 2024. Its sunfish fell ill soon after and staffers struggled to understand why the creature suddenly stopped eating, the aquarium said on X.

Aquarium staff in Japan used cardboard cutouts of visitors to help cheer up the depressed sunfish. X / @shimonoseki_aq

In the wild, sunfish largely prefer to live alone or occasionally link up in pairs. Likewise, the Kaikyokan Aquarium’s listless fish has long been the sole occupant of its tank.

But what sets sunfish apart from many other solitary

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