Robots instead of fish

Outrage over fake whale shark in Chinese aquarium

You don't have to be a marine biologist to spot the fake: Instead of a real whale shark, a robot swims through the aquarium in Shenzhen.(Bild: x.com/sz_mediagroup)

A brand new large aquarium in China has attracted mass criticism from visitors due to the use of a robot shark: The Xiaomeisha Ocean World in the metropolis of Shenzhen was met with waves of outrage on the internet. Visitors feel deceived.

Visitors to the Ocean World in south-east China had previously discovered that a supposed whale shark in the aquarium was actually a swimming robot. The whale shark had previously been advertised as one of the main attractions.

"Are you trying to trick children?"
On the online review platform Dazhong Dianping, visitors flooded the Ocean World site with negative comments. One of them said he was "speechless because of the fake whale shark". Another review read, "Are you trying to trick children?"

Operator argues with species protection
Many social media users criticized the fact that they had paid too much money for "fake sea animals". The entrance fee for the Ocean World, which opened on October 1, is around 240 yuan (31 euros) for adults. Local media reported that the operator referred to the trade ban on whale sharks in its response. The Ocean World explained that it was cruel to keep a real specimen of the marine mammals in captivity. The robot is intended to raise awareness for the protection of the species.

Counterfeiting by Chinese zoos has already attracted attention in the past. In May, Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province came under fire on social media because employees colored chow chow dogs black and white to make them look like pandas. The Shanwei Zoo in Guangdong province admitted to using the same trick last month.