Tokyo Aquarium Asks People to FaceTime Its Shy Eels

A months-long lockdown has made the eels more scared of humans.

Shy Eels

The news cycle can be grim these days. But every once in a while, a story still shows us the brighter sides of life during a global pandemic.

Today, that story comes in the form of shy eels that are just begging for a little bit of human-eel interaction — courtesy of the internet, as Business Insider reports.

Staff at the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo have been noticing that their 300 tiny garden eels have been burying themselves in sand more often whenever somebody approached them.

Their guess to explain the eels' newly developed introversion: a months-long lockdown is hurting their human interaction skills.

Much Needed Face Time

Now, the zoo staff are inviting the public to FaceTime the eels, with magnified faces of eel enthusiasts glued on iPad screens that have been set up in front of the tank.

Up to five pairs of watchful eyes are able to get some face time with the tiny eels from May 3 to May 5 between 10 am and 2 pm. Each virtual visitor gets up to five precious minutes with the adorable fish.

To FaceTime the eels, potential visitors will need a compatible Apple device to call one of five email addresses associated with the zoo.

READ MORE: A Tokyo aquarium is making an 'emergency plea' for people to FaceTime its eels so they don't get too shy [Business Insider]

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