World’s loneliest fish left heartbroken & alone at closed down aquarium gets cardboard cutout friends to ease boredom

A SUNFISH that was virtually dying of loneliness has been saved with a radical of cardboard cutouts friends keeping it company.

The food became unwell erstwhile the Kaikyokan aquarium wherever it lives successful Shimonoseki, confederate Japan, was temporarily closed for renovations successful December.

It refused to tuck into its accustomed jellyfish fare and began mournfully rubbings its assemblage against the walls of solid tank.

Mai Kato, who works astatine the aquarium, told Japanese paper Mainichi Shimbun that the sunfish, which arrived astatine the aquarium a twelvemonth ago, had a "curious" property and would usually "swim up to visitors erstwhile they approached the tank".

Keepers had assorted theories for what mightiness beryllium dampening its spirits, including a lawsuit of parasites oregon digestive issues - but these diagnoses were proved wrong.

When content, the food enjoys waving its fins astir successful the water.

With suggestions moving dry, the unit adjacent resorted to waving themselves to effort and coax a absorption - but to nary avail.

Then, 1 unit subordinate had the thought that the food mightiness beryllium missing the quality visitors that usually look connected the different broadside of the glass.

They revealed connected X that initially they "thought 99% accidental 'No way!'" was that the fish's issue.

It was a bizarre theory, but workers astatine the aquarium decided to trial it retired arsenic a "last resort".

The squad created a assemblage of cardboard-cutout radical to enactment up and adjacent into the watery world.

These fake friends were constructed from cardboard faces taped to the solid supra uniforms hanging connected clothe hooks.

Unbelievably, erstwhile they returned the next morning, the sunfish had turned a country and was backmost to its bubbly self.

Staff said the food evidently "felt better" and was seen "waving its fins" successful the tank.

The aquarium announced connected X: "It seems to beryllium successful bully health again!"

A representation shared by the aquarium shows the sunfish bobbing around, with 1 large oculus starting squarely astatine the cardboard crew.

The improbable communicative has made a splash connected societal media, with delighted users flooding to stock their joyousness astatine the fish's improved mood.

Some stock photos and videos they had snapped of the food connected erstwhile occasions, and others made promises to spell and sojourn it erstwhile the aquarium reopened its doors.

Sunfish are notoriously hard to attraction for, which means they are seldom recovered successful aquariums astir the world.

They are, however, contiguous successful each water astir the satellite and are a delicacy successful Japan.

The idiosyncratic kept astatine the Kaikyokan aquarium is astir 31 inches agelong and weighs astir 30kg - but sunfish person been known to scope a staggering 1,900kg and 3.3 metres across.

It is expected - withstanding immoderate future fatal bout of loneliness - to unrecorded to astir 10 years old.