For the penguins and otters at Japan’s Hakone-en Aquarium, an hour’s drive southwest of Tokyo, inflation and rising prices mean a change in diet — and the animals aren’t happy about it. Before, the aquarium offered penguins and “aji” otters, or Japanese sea urchin, which the animals readily ate. However, the aquarium, home to 32,000 animals including sharks and seals, has not been immune to the economic woes plaguing many global economies. The price of aji has increased by 20% to 30% since last year, the aquarium said. An employee at Japan’s Hakone-en Aquarium tries to lure penguins with mackerel, with little success. TV Asahi So to cut costs, in May the aquarium switched to a cheaper alternative — “saba” or mackerel. It wasn’t well received, as aquarium workers have to get creative to encourage the animals to eat — for example, otters and penguins seem more willing to eat mackerel when it’s mixed with their favorite aji. “Ideally, they would like to have a full aji, but they patiently eat mackerel,” aquarium keeper Hiroki Shimamoto told CNN affiliate Asahi TV. The aquarium also cuts costs by reducing the number of circulation pumps from two to one, which has reduced the electricity bill by 40% to 50%. “We could increase the entrance fee to the aquarium and fix this problem, but we would like to do our best to keep our facility a comfortable place for our guests to visit. We do not intend to increase admission prices ” said Shimamoto. The aquarium says the penguins and otters have their preferred type of fish and the aquarium does its best to meet their needs. “All the animals in the aquarium are family and we do our best to keep them healthy,” he said. “We would never force any animal to eat what it doesn’t want. We would like as many people (as possible) to come visit Hakone and enjoy our animals.” Top image: An employee at Japan’s Hakone-en Aquarium waves a mackerel near a penguin, which moves away. Credit: TV Asahi
