A Chinese language aquarium in Shenzhen, Xiaomeisha Sea World, has sparked outrage after unveiling a mechanical whale shark as its star attraction, reported the New York Submit.
Reopened on October 1 after 5 years of renovations, the park drew roughly 100,000 guests throughout its week-long trial interval.
Nonetheless, many had been dissatisfied to find that the much-anticipated whale shark was, in reality, a robotic.
Images shared by guests present seen gaps within the mechanical shark’s physique, main many to criticise the aquarium for creating unrealistic expectations. Indignant company took to social media, calling the robotic “uninteresting” and voicing their frustrations over the excessive entry charge of round $40.
Earlier, Chinese language zoos have been accused of deceptive individuals by swapping or modifying animals. The current case got here into the limelight when a zoo in China painted canines to resemble pandas.
Xiaomeisha Sea World defended the choice, explaining that the robotic whale shark adheres to legal guidelines prohibiting the commerce of dwell whale sharks. Nonetheless, this did little to appease disgruntled guests, with one stating, “I’d reasonably they didn’t have one in any respect than present a faux one.”
Complaints had been additionally made relating to the dwell displays, with some company mentioning the poor well being of the fish, claiming some displayed indicators of white spot illness.
