An aquarium in southern China has come under scrutiny for showcasing a robotic whale shark instead of a live one, igniting passionate debates around animal welfare and consumer rights.

Videos circulating online depict a life-size robotic whale shark gliding through the waters of Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, following its reopening in October.

The robotic exhibit elicited mixed reactions from visitors. Some were captivated by its innovative design, while others felt deceived. The aquarium charges 230 yuan (US$32) for admission.

Some visitors expressed dissatisfaction and sought compensation on the aquarium’s page on Dazhong Dianping, the restaurant and review service operated by Meituan.

One commenter stated: “I cannot believe the whale shark is fake. It’s outrageous to charge over 200 yuan for a ticket.”

Another visitor threatened to “report the place and have it shut down” due to the counterfeit whale shark.

Conversely, some supported the aquarium’s approach.

A self-proclaimed cyberpunk enthusiast remarked on Xiaohongshu: “It’s a wonderful alternative to showcase large marine creatures without imprisoning them in a tank. Rather than obscuring the whale shark’s true identity from visitors, the aquarium should embrace this opportunity to educate the public on the importance of animal protection.”

This is not the first instance of a Chinese aquarium utilising a robotic whale shark in place of a living one.

According to the National Business Daily, a similar robot made its debut at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park in 2022.

Developed through a collaboration between Haichang Ocean Park Holdings Ltd and the 111 Factory under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the Shanghai robot measures 4.7 metres in length, weighs 430kg, and is designed to emulate the movements of real whale sharks when operated by humans.

Usually kept in a tank and activated only during performances, visitor feedback indicated that the robot’s movements did not closely mimic those of a real whale shark.

Each robotic whale shark comes at a cost of millions of yuan (hundreds of thousands of US dollars), yet this is significantly cheaper than the expenses associated with maintaining live specimens.

The world’s largest fish can cost over 100 million yuan (US$14 million) to keep and care for.

While whale sharks can live between 80 and 130 years in the wild, they often do not survive longer than five years in aquariums, according to Li Jianping, dean of the Academy of Future Ocean at the Ocean University of China.

Although the aquarium may provide optimal water quality and temperature control, the limited space is insufficient for their needs.

A spokesperson from Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park indicated that capturing whale sharks is prohibited in China, as they are classified as a national second-class protected species. Presenting robotic whale sharks serves as a means to both protect this marine life and promote ocean education.

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/en...pgtype=homepage

Atleast still got actual thing to see...
Not those virtual / video shark...

Animal should stay in their original habitat.

Whale shark and whale is different ler

"educate the public on the importance of animal protection.”

If like this just tutup the akuarium, 'nuff said. All fishes can be freedom

Literally tara whale kita bino whale

Whale should be in the wild not in Aquarium, China is right

Kena air tak rosak ke?

Inb4 buy phone Huawei also waterproof

Think it's a good approach. Keeping a whale shark in an aquarium is akin to keeping a man in a 3mx3mx3m cage.

LEL in tongsan apa2 pun fake

oh yea i watched a video about it, impressed how technological advanced china's robot. They even have live mermaid performance swimming with the robot whale.

Shame that china people upset that it's not real whale, but again mostly impressed for china robotics.

In 10 years or if fortunately lesser than that, we will have robot animals that can fully immersed mimic real life animal that us humans cant tell the difference

This post has been edited by Clowninja: Nov 16 2024, 11:59 AM

Best use of such tech is to use for spying, not to be an exhibit.

The probably could not fit a power generator big enough for long range spying so end up got sent to aquarium.

Impressive robot movement. Weigh 0.5 tonne weh, not small also



This post has been edited by ZeaXG: Nov 16 2024, 12:03 PM

Submarine class quality

Can remain indefinitely in water.

yeah, if i was the audience, i would be mostly impressed and would love to interview the team that made this.

maybe it's just me and my passion towards technology especially robots

Why they openly display their spy equipment? And why no one complaint about the fake mermaid in the video at 0:10?

This post has been edited by Capt. Marble: Nov 16 2024, 12:10 PM