Eels, like humans, apparently need a little face time with people to get through their coronavirus lockdown.
The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan, is asking for help with socializing its spotted garden eels, which appear to be “forgetting” about humans due to the facility’s COVID-19 shutdown.
The aquarium is home to about 300 garden eels, a googly-eyed species that pops out of the sand en masse like strands of grass. Most garden eels are delicate and very easily frightened, but the ones at the aquarium had become comfortable with seeing humans every day.
Then the coronavirus hit, the aquarium went into lockdown and humans stopped peeking through the glass around their tank on a daily basis.
“They don’t see humans, except keepers, and they have started forgetting about humans,” the aquarium said in a statement earlier this week. Aquarium officials worry that the eels are becoming too shy and that they won’t want to poke their heads out to see visitors when the lockdowns eventually end.
Staff say the garden eels “disappear into the sand and hide every time the keepers pass by,” which makes it much tougher to feed them or keep an eye on their health.
That’s why the aquarium is turning to the internet for help.
“Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?” the aquarium wrote.
The facility says it’s going to set up five iPads around the tank for an “emergency FaceTime festival” that will run from Sunday, May 3 until Tuesday, May 5. Apple users will be able to ring up the eels and talk to them for five minutes at a time, the aquarium says.
If you’re hankering for an eel hangout this weekend, you can give them a call at one of the following five email addresses:
- helpchin001@gmail.com
- helpchin002@gmail.com
- helpchin003@gmail.com
- helpchin004@gmail.com
- helpchin005@gmail.com
The only rules are that you must stick to five minutes and avoid screaming at the little guys and gals, the aquarium says.
Oh, and you have to be using FaceTime. Sorry, Android users.
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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
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