China’s fake whale shark.
Visiting an aquarium is like jumping into a big, watery adventure! Families love seeing bright, colourful fish, playful dolphins, and sharks swimming.
Recently, a super cool aquarium in China called Xiaomeisha Sea World opened again after five years. Everyone was excited to meet its biggest star - a giant whale shark!
But guess what? The whale shark wasn’t real; it was a robot! People could see its mechanical parts through the glass. Many visitors were unhappy because they wanted to see a real whale shark. What a disappointment!
Response by Xiaomeisha Sea World’s officials.
The officials explained that the robot whale shark wasn’t meant to fool anyone. They used it because there are rules that protect real whale sharks. But this didn’t make the visitors happy at all!
The people complained and wanted their money back. They said they’d rather see no shark than a fake one! Some visitors also noticed that other fish didn’t look healthy. They told the aquarium officials that it should take better care of all its sea creatures.
Not the first fake incident in China.
China has faced the same situation before. For example, at one time, dogs were painted to look like pandas, which happened at Taizhou Zoo.
The zoo wanted more visitors, so they cut the dogs' hair and painted their faces to look like tiny pandas. People found out and got upset.
Earlier this year, the Yuntai Waterfalls in China were also artificially supplied with water from a pipe to “fool” tourists after the dry season caused water levels to drop.
Do you think it’s okay to artificially “create” natural things in order to attract visitors who want to see actual nature and wildlife? Tell us in the comments.
