Cute seal uses a 'guilt window' to trick guests into buying it snacks and there's no escaping

Imagine yourself being caged in a confined area even for a moment. Only the thought seems horrifying, right? Now, imagine what the innocent animals who spend their whole lives in captivity must be feeling. Visiting a zoo and looking at the caged animals through large windows might be exciting for us, but for them, it is nothing but stressful. Similarly, when Kim Fragoso (@kimfragoso555 on TikTok), visited an aquarium, it wasn’t the captive seal that caught her attention, but something else. The adorable seal literally pleaded with Fragoso through the window to buy him some food.

When Fragoso arrived near the seal's enclosure, he peeped through the visitor's window, as if asking her to treat him with some food. "Yes, sir! I am buying you the food. He (the shopkeeper) is getting it for me right now," she said while capturing the seal. Surprised by the marine mammal's innocent behavior, Fragoso further shared, "Oh! He knew what was about to happen," in the caption. The TikTok video received an overwhelming response on social media. For instance, @leesbian_ wrote, "When I was three or four these guys DOUSED me because I wasn’t feeding them fast enough and now I'm afraid of aquariums. I (affectionately) call them my mortal enemies." @thisyesi wrote, "He got those sad puppy eyes perfected. They knew what they were doing with that window placement." @corpsicbeauty wrote, "Is this at SEASIDE?!? oh man, I used to go there all the time as a kid. They're so cute! Me and my bestie still smack our stomachs when we are hungry like they do."

While most people noticed the playful seal and his quirky way of emotionally blackmailing guests to buy him food, many even pointed out the poor condition of the aquarium. Like, @vincentmonroe94 wrote, "I knew this was seaside Oregon aquarium straightaway, check on YouTube, it’s literally so depressing, the conditions." @ladyyeah wrote, "This is cute but all I can think of was when I heard that animals were starving and dying because they only got fed when guests paid to feed them." On the other hand, @gorge.foodie commented, "I went to this place when I visited seaside and instantly regretted giving them money. It was the saddest most pathetic 'aquarium' and the animals all looked so depressed. It’s dirty and small." @stonedwednesdayaddams wrote, "I’m sorry but this place pisses me off. Barely any room for them, they live legit RIGHT NEXT to the beach & the 'food' that you can buy for them to INTERACT with you is very small fish."

On a related note, while forcing animals into captivity for entertainment purposes has always been a debatable topic, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that some marine mammals live longer in captivity than in their natural habitats. "It's a clear indication that the improvements in care in captivity have really increased the survival of these animals over long periods of time," said Andrew Derocher. Further, he revealed that in zoos or aquariums, the nutritional needs and medical assistance are well met, allowing them to live longer. Another significant point that he mentioned that may have led to the results of the study is that in captivity, there are no predators but in their natural habitats, they are always at risk. 

You can follow Kim Fragoso (@kimfragoso555) on TikTok for more animal-related content.