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Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
- GauntletWizard 2y agoAny article about cardboard standees in japanese aquariums is incomplete without reference to Grape-kun, a penguin who fell in love with a cardboard cutout from an anime promotion. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-kun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-kun
- classichasclass 2y agoWe "met" a king penguin at Singapore Bird Paradise that would follow people around at the edge of the tank (an acrylic sheet separated you from their enclosure) and try to interact. It swam up to my wife and followed her around, then went to another bunch of people and did the same. It seemed to enjoy watching people watching it and waving to it. Not every animal does, but this one did.
- lostlogin 2y agoI’m not sure if it applies with all birds, but many seem to become fixated on humans. This can happen if you care for very young, sick or injured birds. My wife cares for various sad cases and if she isn’t careful they stay with with us. We have 4 pigeons at the moment, with various issues. I call them our rehoming pigeons. Do you want a pigeon?
- classichasclass 2y agoFunny enough, my late father was a veterinarian and we had a pigeon that we raised from a chick (we weren't sure what this thoroughly ugly bird was and it turned out it was a pigeon). It was very tame and lived in a hutch on the back porch, and would watch for us to come back from the electric pole out the front. Unfortunately its knowledge of cats was limited to our extremely lazy ones and one day it disappeared; we suspect it got eaten.
- ANewFormation 2y agoWe treated a pigeon back to health from a failed cat attack - healthy enough to eat and walk, but not fly. It took a while but she eventually fully regained her ability to fly. She had some rather distinct markings and would hang around the house pretty regularly after that. Then one day outside she was getting seriously groomed by a larger pigeon and wow is that where that term comes from? Anyhow yeah she returned the grooming (which I'd later look up was her way of saying 'yeah I'm down - let's go') and I never saw her, or him, again. So yeah - there could've been a happier ending there, especially because when a cat does eat a pigeon there tends to be evidence left.
- jerrysievert 2y agoI became friends with a mallard while living near a pond, he would follow me when I walked to the bus stop, and greet me while on my way home (closer to home, he wouldn't typically leave the apartment complex, thankfully). one year, he disappeared, which added a lot of sadness to my life. that summer, he reappeared and walked up a hill to greet me, with his mate and ducklings in tow. his mate had had a shattered (and repaired) beak, and was easy to pick out, and he spent time walking between us with "quack quack quack", back and forth, as if to introduce us. they stayed around at least until I moved a year or so later. by far the most profound experience I've had with a "wild" animal, a memorable experience that I will continue to cherish.
- weakfish 2y agoThis made me smile, thank you for sharing!
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- hinkley 2y agoSome of them fixate on one kind of person. They have a type. I knew someone who got a bird at a pet store. The bird's favorite caretaker looked like a younger version of my friend. So the bird was intrigued. When she surrendered the bird about five years later, the girlfriend of the man running the sanctuary also had the same hair color and skin tone. So again the bird was eager to check out the new person. Most other people could fuck right off.
- lxgr 2y agoBirds can imprint on humans when exposed to them at some critical period after hatching, which seems adorable at a first glance, but can ultimately be a problem for birds that could otherwise be released into the wild, as it’s often irreversible.
- bitwize 2y agoFamously there is a kakapō named Sirocco who imprinted on humans to the point of being sexually attracted to them rather than to other kakapō. Which is both a problem because with only 244 individuals left, the species needs as many mating pairs as it can get; and a blessing because his international fame and fondness for humans makes him an effective "spokesbird" for conservation. Here he is mounting and having a go at Mark Carwardine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY "You are being shagged by a rare parrot!"
- shashanoid 2y ago:(
- rubiquity 2y agoI’ve encountered a couple of these Sunfish (“Mola mola”) in the wild off the coast of Southern California. They’re absolutely incredible to see in person and massive! While it seemed to enjoy our presence we made sure not to get too close or they might mistake your boat for a rock and try to flop on board, which is the only way they’ve ever killed a human. I’ve read they move to warmer waters as they age and the ones I saw were “only” around 800-1200 pounds. The ones around Indonesia can be 3000 pounds or more. Fascinating creature.
- sandworm101 2y agoAlso, they famously carry a huge number of parasites. This just seems normal for the species, similar to how sloth fur supports a variety of organisms.
- thaumasiotes 2y agoIt's normal for all species, humans included. We generally aren't carrying large loads of parasites, but that's not because not doing so is normal. It's because we put tremendous effort into getting rid of them. This is one of the theories for why human body temperature seems to have lowered since the measurement was standardized at 37 C. There was a poem written about the phenomenon: Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em And little fleas have lesser fleas and so ad infinitum
- DFHippie 2y agoThe version I recall has "upon their knees to bite 'em". Maybe my juvenile brain made up that internal rhyme the better to remember it.
- dang 2y agoWritten by de Morgan of de Morgan's Laws! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaptera_(poem) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaptera_(poem) But he lifted the genius part of it from Jonathan Swift.
- sandworm101 2y ago
- world2vec 2y agoThese animals yearn for their mates. I understand the conservation aspect of aquariums and all the good things that come out of it (research, etc) but it still makes me a bit sad when I read things like this.
- HPMOR 2y agoI yearn for my mate… but do they yearn for me?
- ysavir 2y agoI agree with you. The older I get, the less and less tolerant I become of the concept of zoos and aquariums.
- Night_Thastus 2y agoThe better ones take really good care of the animals within. And I think they serve an important and not-irreplaceable purpose - exposure. They help show ordinary people, many of whom live in cities with no exposure to real nature, just what out there is worth protecting. I think it helps build public support for things like reducing waste, better fishing and hunting practices, the importance of parks and preserves, wildlife crossings, etc. Sure, you can see them on your phone. But the result is completely different than seeing them with your own eyes.
- riffraff 2y agoThey ma provide good care, but how good can care be? A large animal would probably roam vast distances all the time and there's no way a zoo can allow that. Plus climate. Polar bears at the zoo on plastic ice may be the saddest thing I've seen in my life, but how are you gonna provide tons and tons of ice for miles in a warm climate?
- ysavir 2y agoSo it's okay to have some animals live in terrible circumstances in order for people to not have to put effort into being empathetic? They might take "really good care" of the animals, feed them well, give them the best veterinary care, etc, but that's not a good life for an animal. When they have so little space to roam, so little engagement or interaction with other groups of the same species, no agency over their food or other aspect of their life, and all the while having humans gawk at them whenever they aren't hiding away. It's just a pitiful existence for the benefit of tourists. I can't buy into that.
- carabiner 2y agoI wish I was that sunfish.
- James_K 2y agoZoos are really quite cruel.
- calf 2y agoZoos are a lesser evil argument, locally they are not the best for the animals but they provide globally long-term benefits for humans and nature as well.
- dwaltrip 2y agoWhat’s the alternative? The implied greater evil? A world with no zoos and less appreciation and consideration for nature as well as the long term necessity of caring for it? I’m wondering about creating more nature parks instead of zoos. Of course not as accessible for people in cities, but could be a much better compromise. In general, we should avoid putting animals in small cages as much as possible.
- daveslash 2y agoSpeaking of nature parks instead of zoos, the San Diego Wild Safari Park is just that. Very large enclosed pastures with multiple species living alongside each other.
- calf 2y agoNature park is still basically a zoo, and yes the lesser evil is the sacrifice of animal wellbeing to ensure that the masses of urbanized humans get to physically see these animals. It is an inevitable tradeoff and there is no way around it, no euphemism for zoos or general appeals about animal wellbeing can paper over that. If the benefit of putting wild animals in small zoos is some sliver of human cultural contact with the wilds, then that calculus is worth it, however paradoxical and politically incorrect it may appear to be. That's the argument.
- James_K 2y agoThe implication here is that it would be impossible to fund conservation without zoos. As a counter argument: we could just do it. Increase taxes by the amount people spend in zoos and spend that on conservation. The only argument in favour of the zoo over that other approach is that people want to look at animals in cages.
- DiscourseFan 2y agoPoor fish
- neilv 2y agoIs it loneliness, or stimulus deprivation? The tank looks barren in the photo.
- londons_explore 2y agoThey live in the middle of big oceans. Whenever I've found one in the wild, there is nothing nearby, so I imagine an empty tank is the best way to replicate that.
- rurp 2y agoI'm surprised to see so many comments solely about how aquariums/zoos are cruel and feeling sorry for this particular fish, when it's a species that is regularly hunted. I wouldn't want to be locked in a cage/tank either, but by ending up in a well run aquarium this sunfish is doing better than 99.999% of sunfish that have encountered humans. This isn't a screed against eating fish or meat; I eat both. There are a lot of unethical practices in these industries that I'd like to see greatly improved, but putting a few individuals in an enclosure where there is at least some research and educational value seems like not even a rounding error on the state of animal welfare.
- observationist 2y agoBeing cared for by conscientious humans, providing enrichment and variety, can be better than living in the wild. For any animal, living in the wild, life span tends to be short, and life tends to be brutal. Prey animals are hunted, and they scrounge for food; finding a steady, reliable, nutritious, and tasty source of food in the wild is vanishingly rare. Dealing with parasites, illness, injury, predation, and all the other stress and constant threats to life is why wild animals are dangerous. Peaceful, fulfilling, life is incredibly rare. It's even incredibly rare for humans - we're currently in an age of plenty and abundance, with more people living better lives than at any other point in the history of our species. Overfishing and the geopolitical nature of enforcement and exploitation aren't something we can affect at an individual level, but these aquarium staff are doing a good thing, making a pretty good life for a sunfish. An actual companion would be better, but as long as the cutouts are triggering relief for whatever social needs being affected, that's a good deal for the sunfish.
- daveslash 2y agoI was commenting to my wife the other day... it seems to me that there are very few wild animals that just die from being too old. Not an expert, but it seems to me that most animals in the wild live until they are brutally ripped apart and eaten alive by another animal, and it's only a matter of time -- very rarely reaching an age old enough to just die.
- mhb 2y agoAn alternative last resort could have been to let small groups of real people in to see the sunfish during renovations. It could even be a PR thing with a lottery or something for the lucky sunfish companions.
- fbfactchecker 2y ago[dead]
- tender_vittles 2y ago[flagged]
- tender_vittles 2y agoIt's a fucking baby wheel man!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0IQCLQDfKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0IQCLQDfKw)
- somishere 2y agoDuring the pandemic / lockdown I was lucky enough to visit one of the reef pontoons off Cairns (Australia, on the Great Barrier Reef) that had been shut for several months. The resident Maori wrasse (a very large fish) at this pontoon, and others, has been known to have a relationship with some of the regular staff - often rubbing up against them in the water. When we jumped in the water that day the fish's reaction was the wildest thing I've ever seen. It was like a small puppy who has been locked inside all day. It literally jumped into my arms, flapping its tail to get closer. I'm going to repeat - this is a big fish, maybe a metre long and stocky, covered in a nice thick layer of slime. It would then swim away and come back and rub up against us. It did this to all three of us in the group ... only one of us was a regular. She hung with us for the whole snorkel and it was a bit sad when we had to get out of the water. Amazing experience. Made me feel differently about wrasses, that's for sure.
- why_at 2y agoWhile I was scuba diving in Belize with some friends we encountered some Goliath Grouper which would follow us around. Later we were amazed when we saw another diver hold out her arms to one and it swam right up to her so she could hold it and pet it. Keep in mind this was a massive fish that probably weighed as much as a person. We asked her about it afterwards, turns out they just like being petted :). Eventually got to try it out ourselves on another dive, fish can be really friendly.
- somishere 2y agoWow. We have a "Queensland" Grouper here .. similar size to the goliath, but there is no way I would hug it. A mate was a skipper of a dive boat and went for a freedive on their break - got a little bit too close to one that was chilling under the vessel. It opened it's mouth and sucked their head in. Happened very quickly. This person has a pretty decent breath hold, and experienced all round. But they thought that was it - all over. Until they were promptly spat out - never to venture within 10m of a fish that size again.
- veunes 2y agoGoliath Groupers are massive! It must’ve been surreal to interact with something like that up close.
- veunes 2y agoHow complex and sensitive animals can be! And it’s a big reminder that we have a huge responsibility for their well-being when we bring them into these kinds of spaces.