A Tokyo aquarium is making an 'emergency plea' for people to FaceTime its eels so they don't get too shy

Mary MeisenzahlMay 5, 2020, 00:18 IST

Garden eel.Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo has been closed since March 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Keepers at the aquarium are asking people to FaceTime with the eels so they don't forget about having human visitors and become too shy.
They set up five tablets along the tank where callers will be displayed between May 3 and May 5.
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Coronavirus shutdowns are hard on everyone, including the eels.

The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo made an unlikely request, asking people to video call the organizations 300 garden eels.

Keepers at the aquarium posted videos on social media showing the eels hiding in their burrows whenever people approached, and they asked the public to help. Now, the aquarium is facilitating FaceTime calls to the eel tank to help the animals stay used to people.

Here's how it works.

Read the original article on Business Insider

To participate, use an Apple device capable of FaceTime to call one of these email addresses. Android calls are not allowed at this point.

Eel. Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

November 11 has been established as "Spotted Garden Eel Day" by the Japanese anniversary association.

Eel. Andrey Nekrasov / Barcroft Image / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

In 2014, a couple got married at Sumida Aquarium in front of the eel tank and even had an eel-themed cake.

Sumida Aquarium eels. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga livestreamed more than 100 hours of the eels in 2014 to nearly 800,000 viewers.

Sumida Aquarium eels. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

These tiny eels have been popular in Japan for years.

Garden eels. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Anticipating the popularity of the calls, people are asked to spend only about five minutes before letting someone else have a turn.

Garden eels. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Anyone is invited to call with an iPad or iPhone between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. between May 3 and May 5.

Sumida Aquarium eels. Reuters

Five tablets were set up along the tank where the eels are kept.

Sumida Aquarium eels. Reuters

The aquarium came up with a unique solution: invite people to FaceTime the eels, so they can once again become accustomed to seeing humans.

Garden eel. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Keepers must be able to inspect eels to monitor their health and breeding, which is difficult when they hide from people.

Garden eel. Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Since the March 1 closure, keepers noticed that the garden eels were hiding when people approached.

Garden eel. Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Typically, this species of tiny eels is cautious around humans, diving into the sand when someone approaches.

Garden eel. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

The aquarium would welcomed visitors every day, so the eels were accustomed to humans.

Garden eel. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo has 10,000 marine animals from 400 species.

Sumida Aquarium. Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A Tokyo aquarium is making an 'emergency plea' for people to FaceTime its eels so they don't get too shy

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A Tokyo aquarium is making an 'emergency plea' for people to FaceTime its eels so they don't get too shy

To participate, use an Apple device capable of FaceTime to call one of these email addresses. Android calls are not allowed at this point.

November 11 has been established as "Spotted Garden Eel Day" by the Japanese anniversary association.

In 2014, a couple got married at Sumida Aquarium in front of the eel tank and even had an eel-themed cake.

Video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga livestreamed more than 100 hours of the eels in 2014 to nearly 800,000 viewers.

These tiny eels have been popular in Japan for years.

Anticipating the popularity of the calls, people are asked to spend only about five minutes before letting someone else have a turn.

Anyone is invited to call with an iPad or iPhone between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. between May 3 and May 5.

Five tablets were set up along the tank where the eels are kept.

The aquarium came up with a unique solution: invite people to FaceTime the eels, so they can once again become accustomed to seeing humans.

Keepers must be able to inspect eels to monitor their health and breeding, which is difficult when they hide from people.

Since the March 1 closure, keepers noticed that the garden eels were hiding when people approached.

Typically, this species of tiny eels is cautious around humans, diving into the sand when someone approaches.

The aquarium would welcomed visitors every day, so the eels were accustomed to humans.

The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo has 10,000 marine animals from 400 species.