A famous Chinese influencer with millions of followers faces years of jail time after she posted a video on social media showing her roasting and then eating a great white shark. Great white sharks are becoming less common in the oceans and are therefore a protected species. The Chinese police have launched an investigation.
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In the now-deleted video, Chinese vlogger Tizi provocatively lays down next to the 2-meter-long fish to show that he is bigger than she is. She then cuts the shark in half and cooks the head in a spicy broth. “It may look cruel, but the meat is really tender,” the vlogger says with a laugh, tearing off large chunks of the shark’s grilled meat.
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In China, the white shark is a protected species. Illegal possession is punishable by up to ten years in prison. The vlogger, who has nearly eight million followers on the Chinese platforms Douyin and Kuaishou, denies committing any crime, saying she “legally bought the 50-kilogram shark.” According to her, it would also be another shark that is not on the list of endangered species. The Chinese police say in a response that it is indeed the white shark.
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‘Mind blow’
With her provocative video, Tizi is at risk of a hefty punishment. According to Zhou Zhuocheng, chairman of a Chinese animal rights organization, the great white shark should be released into the sea immediately if caught, regardless of whether the animal is still alive or not. Whoever brings it ashore to sell it or who buys the animal at all is breaking the law, according to Zhuocheng. Whether the vlogger actually faces a year-long prison sentence, must now become apparent from further investigation. “If Tizi didn’t know it was a great white shark, her action cannot be seen as a crime,” a lawyer told the Chinese newspaper. Zing News.
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On social media, the vlogger – known for her many cooking videos – has had to endure a torrent of negative reactions. “It is mind-boggling to see that an internet celebrity can eat a protected animal in broad daylight in front of millions of people!” is one of the many thousands of comments. Meanwhile, all of the vlogger’s videos have been taken offline.
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Delicacy
Shark populations have declined sharply in recent decades. In 2013, a group of scientists in South Africa concluded that the survival of the great white shark is even more serious. They take into account that there are half as many great white sharks swimming around the world than previously thought. Overfishing is seen as the main cause of the threat of extinction. Shark fins are a delicacy in Asian cuisine.
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Of all shark species, it is estimated that between 23 and 73 million are killed each year worldwide.
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