Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – After an employee placed a mackerel near a penguin’s nose, the seabird showed no reaction.
In fact, the penguin turns away and then runs away.
For penguins and otters in Japan’s Hakone-en Aquarium, an hour’s drive southwest of Tokyo, inflation and rising prices have led to a change in diet.
And the animals are not happy about that.
The aquarium formerly served aji, or Japanese mackerel, for penguins and otters, which were easily eaten by animals.
The aquarium, which houses 32,000 animals including sharks and seals, was not entirely immune to economic problems.
The price of mackerel has risen 20% to 30% since last year, the aquarium said.
Driven by cost savings, the aquarium in May found a cheaper alternative, known as saba or mackerel.
Not well received by animals, aquarium workers should be encouraged more when eating food.
For example, otters and penguins seem to be more likely to eat mackerel when mixed with their favorite “aji”.
The sump also reduces the cost of reducing the number of circulation pumps from two to one, reducing your electricity bill by 40% to 50%.
“We can raise the entrance fee to the aquarium and solve this problem, but we want to do everything we can to maintain our facility and make it a comfortable place to visit, and we do not plan to raise the entrance fee,” aquarium keeper Hiroki Shimamoto told CNN affiliate TV Asahi.
The aquarium says that penguins and otters are their preferred type of fish and that the aquarium does its best to meet their needs.
He continued: “We will never force any animal to eat what it does not … We want as many people as possible to come to visit Hakone and enjoy our animals.”
