Lockdown Fatigue: Fish species in Australian aquarium exhibit signs of depression

With many countries around the world still under lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, people are getting tired of staying at home for weeks at stretch. However, it's not just people but also schools of fish in Australia experiencing lockdown fatigue and longing for some real human interaction. 

A marine biologist with Queensland's Cairns Aquarium told an international media portal that a number of fish at the facility have become lethargic since the place closed to the public due to COVID-19 pandemic. As per reports, some fish at the aquarium are showing signs of depression, with some even refusing to eat and hiding in dark corners of the tank. The marine biologist added that while people may not realise it, animals can see outside the tank and take enjoy interacting with visitors. 

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With the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in place, the aquarium's crowd favourite 'Chang' - a huge Queensland grouper - is reported to be particularly affected by the absence of humans and seem disinterested in its environment. While the aquarium staff is feeding the fish and cleaning their tanks, the reduced operations crew is not enough to cheer the marine animals. 

Fish have feelings 

A lot of scientific studies in the past have elucidated on the emotional capacity of various fish species. In a study published in 2017, Portuguese researchers observed that fish have a range of emotions that are triggered by their environment. In another previous study, fish were noted to have impressive learning capacity and capable of showing a whole range of sophisticated behaviours. 

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