China's Xiaomieisha Sea World aquarium is facing widespread criticism after revealing that its prized whale shark exhibit is actually a robot replica. After a five-year renovation, the aquarium reopened on October 1, attracting 100,000 visitors eager to see the largest fish in the world. However, excitement soon turned to disappointment when visitors discovered that the 'whale shark' was a mechanical imitation New York Post reported. Photos showed the fake shark's obvious seams and holes, sparking outrage among park visitors who paid $40 to see the real attraction.
Visitors at the scene angrily demanded their money back over the fake shark and flooded social media with complaints. One user wrote: “The location is not big enough and even the whale shark is artificial. At three o'clock people were already demanding refunds.”
Another commented: “The most disappointing part was the whale shark exhibit. When I heard the name I was full of anticipation, but when I arrived I saw a mechanical whale shark. Even though it is in the interest of animal protection, I 'I'd rather they didn't have one at all, than show a fake one. It's not interesting at all.”
Xiaomeisha Sea World has responded to the controversy, clarifying that the robot whale shark was not intended to deceive visitors, but rather to comply with laws banning the capture and trade of whale sharks.
In particular, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed whale shark reached remarkable lengths and was 18 meters long. To recreate this majestic creature, Xiaomieisha SeaWorld invested millions of Chinese yuan.
China has faced similar controversies over animal exhibits and cheating in the past. The incident involving dogs being spray-painted to resemble pandas sparked widespread outrage and raised concerns about animal welfare and ethics. The incident took place at the Taizhou Zoo in China's Jiangsu province, which opened on May 1 for visitors to see the new animals.
The zoo promoted the attraction “Xiong Mao Quan”, which translates as “panda dogs”, to increase the number of visitors during the May holidays. According to the New York Post, Zoo officials cut the manes of two chow dogs and painted their faces black to resemble miniature pandas. The painted dogs were put on display every day between 8am and 5pm, where large numbers of visitors gathered to view them.
Despite their striking resemblance to giant pandas, some observers noticed strange behavior such as head shaking. There was widespread outrage when visitors realized they were looking at chow-chow dogs instead of pandas. Many criticized the zoo authorities for animal abuse and cheating.