Everyone needs a friend from time to time—even fish. Kaikyokan Aquarium in Shimonoseki, southern Japan, recently discovered that their resident sunfish, Mambo, was suffering from loneliness when they closed for renovation in December 2024. In a creative bid to try and cheer him up, they created cardboard cutouts of people and placed them outside Mambo’s tank for company.
Without any real patrons to pay him a visit, poor Mambo stopped eating his jellyfish meals and began to rub its body against the tank. At first, the staff couldn’t determine the cause of his strange behavior, despite experimenting with different approaches. While some thought Mambo might have digestive issues, one person suggested, “Maybe it’s lonely because it misses the visitors?”
Initially skeptical, the aquarium staff doubted the fish’s loneliness. But clinging to a glimmer of hope (and maybe some desperation), they crafted cardboard cutouts of people in aquarium uniforms and attached them to the glass to see if Mambo would react. Real staff members also took the time to wave at Mambo to try and raise his spirits.
Much to their surprise, Mambo appeared to be in good health the very next day. The aquarium posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter), showing Mambo swimming up to the glass to have a look at his cardboard friends on the other side. According to the staff, the particularly curious fish was known for swimming up to the front of its tank whenever people came to visit.
Kaikyokan Aquarium will remain closed until summer 2025, but hopefully Mambo’s cardboard companions will keep his spirts high in the meantime.
Check out the amusing photo below and follow Kaikyokan Aquarium on Instagram for more updates on its aquatic friends.
Kaikyokan Aquarium in Japan recently managed to cheer up a lonely sunfish named Mambo by placing cardboard cutouts of people outside his tank.
\\休館中のマンボウの様子をお届けします！！！//
マンボウの様子が気になる方も多いのではないでしょうか。
実は・・・！？
(コメントに続く) pic.twitter.com/SXEtgk304M— しものせき水族館「海響館」公式 (@shimonoseki_aq) January 3, 2025
Kaikyokan Aquarium: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
Source: Japanese aquarium cheers up lonely sunfish with cardboard cutouts of people
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