Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Penguins at a Japanese aquarium are being fed cheaper fish - and they aren't happy
Penguins eat krill, squids, and fishes. But their diet varies slightly on the species of penguins, which have slightly different food preferences. This reduces competition among species. For example, the smaller penguin species of the Antarctic and the subantarctic mainly feed on krill and squids while larger emperor penguins eat fish and squids. But not all fish are the same for penguins. When an aquarium near Tokyo changed the fish species to feed its penguins, they turned away. The aquarium used to feed Japanese horse mackerel, a very popular fish in the region, and tried to substitute it with mackerel, which is more widely and cheaply available. These fish species sound and look similar but they are in different families. This change was meant to cut costs to cope with inflation and rising prices but wasn’t liked by penguins. Now, the aquarium staff is trying to make the cheaper alternative tastes more palatable for their penguins by mixing it with their favorite Japanese horse mackerel, which seems to be ok for the penguins. Well, think about pet dogs. They have their favorite or accustomed dog food, and some of them turn away when a different one is offered. We are all sensitive about what to eat.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how sensitive animals’ diet is.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-hakone-aquarium-penguins-fish-intl-hnk/index.html
Penguins at a Japanese aquarium are being fed cheaper fish - and they aren't happy
Penguins eat krill, squids, and fishes. But their diet varies slightly on the species of penguins, which have slightly different food preferences. This reduces competition among species. For example, the smaller penguin species of the Antarctic and the subantarctic mainly feed on krill and squids while larger emperor penguins eat fish and squids. But not all fish are the same for penguins. When an aquarium near Tokyo changed the fish species to feed its penguins, they turned away. The aquarium used to feed Japanese horse mackerel, a very popular fish in the region, and tried to substitute it with mackerel, which is more widely and cheaply available. These fish species sound and look similar but they are in different families. This change was meant to cut costs to cope with inflation and rising prices but wasn’t liked by penguins. Now, the aquarium staff is trying to make the cheaper alternative tastes more palatable for their penguins by mixing it with their favorite Japanese horse mackerel, which seems to be ok for the penguins. Well, think about pet dogs. They have their favorite or accustomed dog food, and some of them turn away when a different one is offered. We are all sensitive about what to eat.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how sensitive animals’ diet is.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-hakone-aquarium-penguins-fish-intl-hnk/index.html
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