Japanese aquarium asks people to video-call Lonely Garden eels

An unforeseen consequence of lockdown is Lonely Japanese Garden eels , the eels are used to Human faces peering at them through the glass but now no Human faces due to lockdown , eels aren't the smartest of creatures so now they've forgotten what Humans are and disappear into the sand in fright at the sight of one.

"Creatures in the aquarium don't see humans except keepers and they have started forgetting about humans," it said on its Twitter account this week.

"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," the aquarium wrote.

"Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?" it requested, calling the event a "face-showing festival".

So if you have video chat you could help the poor creatures and become a facetime buddy to a shy Garden eel.

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. This Golden Week however, people have been asked to stay at home while the country remains under a state of emergency over the coronavirus.

The aquarium's plea has attracted plenty of support, under the Japanese hashtag #PleaseRememberHumans.
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Cute and fragile my foot. I believe they are not afraid and hiding under the sand, but hatching a secret plan to take over the world!

Actually, I love these creatures and would love to chat with them... until I get banned for boring them to death and for teaching them to swear in multiple languages. Lucky for them I only have Android devices. For now, only FaceTime app can be used.

Great find!

Awesome. I'd never even heard of them and had to look them up! Here's a video on YT showing a great many of them. They're carnivorous and also eat plankton.

a reply to: gortex

What an interesting thread. I never heard of garden eels before. Do they just stand in the sand like a plant all the time?

a reply to: StoutBroux

Thanks for the video! Weird how they just stay in place like that.