Penguins And Otters Reject Cheaper Fish Being Served To Them At Japan Aquarium
Unhappy Feet.
By Tamara Jayne — 08 Jul 2022, 09:34 AM
Inflation is affecting almost everyone, on a global scale, and the penguins and otters in this Japanese zoo are apparently no exception
According to ANN News, the sea creatures at Hakone-en aquarium have been rejecting the mackerel that is being offered to them, as the zoo faces inflation and has been cutting costs by replacing their previous more expensive horse mackerel with a cheaper version.
The picky eaters are in complete disapproval, to say the least.
Some of the penguins are seen turning their beaks up and away as fish is being offered to them
The otters can also be seen looking quite disappointed with the new meal plan.
"They take it into their mouths at first, but then they decide they don't like it and drop it," aquarium head Hiroki Shimamoto told AFP, adding that the otters are even more obvious against the decision.
He suspects that the penguins are against the size of the meal, as the fish are larger than the previous ones. "They sense something is off."
At the moment, those willing to eat the cheaper mackerel are being fed the fish
The facility said that horse mackerel prices rose by 20% to 30% from last year due to low catches.
Although the aquarium is still buying horse mackerel, Shimamoto said they will not be changing the meal plan until prices drop. He added that they could raise the admission fees to the aquarium to solve the issue, but would prefer not to.
"All of the animals at the aquarium are family, and we do our best to keep them healthy," he told CNN affiliate TV Asahi. "We would never force any animal to eat what they don't want. We would like to have as many people (as possible) come and visit Hakone-en and enjoy our animals."
