Aquarium Pleads For People To Video Call Their Eels Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

A Japanese aquarium closed during the coronavirus outbreak is asking people to make video calls to its eels so the sensitive creatures remember that humans exist and do not pose a threat.

They made this plea when it was noticed that the eels are now hiding in the sand when the keepers pass by. As a result, keepers are setting up iPads to allow people to show their face to the creatures over FaceTime in a report by The Daily Mail.

According to the aquarium:

Creatures in the aquarium don’t see humans except for keepers and they have started forgetting about humans. Garden eels, in particular, disappear into the sand and hide every time the keepers pass by,’ it noted. That is causing difficulties for keepers trying to check on the health of the animals. Let us make an emergency plea, Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?

The aquarium states that the calls would be regarded as a ‘face-showing festival’.

Garden eels are very sensitive and wary by nature but 300 of them living in a tank at the aquarium had become used to humans and rarely hid in the sand when approached by visitors.

In a bid to reacquaint the eels with humans, the aquarium is setting up five tablets facing the tank housing the delicate creatures, with eel enthusiasts asked to connect on FaceTime.

The ‘face-showing festival’ is scheduled for May 3-5, at the height of Japan’s Golden Week holiday period, when many people usually travel.

Once the video calls start, people are supposed to show their faces, wave, and talk to the eels. But given the tender nature of the animals, callers are asked not to shout.

The aquarium’s plea has attracted plenty of support, under the Japanese hashtag #PleaseRememberHumans.