The owner of the account Tizi, a famous Chinese vlogger, was fined $18,500 after posting a video of grilling and eating white sharks.
Authorities in Nam Sung city, Sichuan province, China, over the weekend announced a fine of 125,000 yuan (more than 18,500 USD) to Ms. Jin, who owns the famous Tizi account, for illegally buying and eating wild animals. .
Jin’s incident emerged in July 2022, after she posted a video of the scene processing and eating a white shark nearly 2m long. “It looks ferocious, but its meat is really tender,” Tizi said as he tore pieces of meat from the great white shark.
Jin initially claimed that she bought the great white shark from a shop in Nam Sung city, but actually spent 7,700 yuan (more than 1,100 USD) to buy it on the online shopping website Taobao.
Jin grilled a great white shark in a video she posted in July 2022. Photo: Douyin.
By buying and eating the great white shark, Jin violated China’s Wildlife Protection Law, China’s Law Prohibition of Trade in Fish and Wild Animals. In addition to Jin’s fine, Chinese authorities also arrested two people involved in catching and transporting great white sharks for her.
Jin also received harsh criticism on social media for his behavior of eating great white sharks. “It’s amazing to see an internet celebrity being able to eat a protected animal in front of millions of people,” commented one Chinese social media user. Others criticized Jin despite doing enough to attract views.
The great white shark is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a vulnerable, near-endangered species. In China, this animal is classified as in need of protection. Those who illegally catch and consume white sharks in China can be sentenced to 5-10 years in prison.
Ngoc Anh (Theo NY Post)