Zoos are really quite cruel.
Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
11–20 of 91 posts
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#12Poor fish
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#13Zoos are really quite cruel.
Zoos 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.
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#14Any 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
ma hawt, ma soul
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#15These 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.
I yearn for my mate… but do they yearn for me?
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#16Is it loneliness, or stimulus deprivation? The tank looks barren in the photo.
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#17Zoos are really quite cruel.
Zoos 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.
What’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.
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#18I'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.
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#19I’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…
Also, 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.
Re: Lonely sunfish in Japan gets cardboard human friends
#20I'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 lo…
Being 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.