China is again drifting into controversy after a Shark Whale in its Xiaomeisha Sea World aquarium turned out to be fake. People are ripped with anger after finding the much-hyped giant Whale Shark in its aquarium to a robot. Following the five-year renovation, the aquarium reopened on October 1, attracting 10,000 visitors who were excited to see the world’s largest fish which was 60 feet in long. However, their excitement quickly turned into disappointment after finding artificial whale and paying an amount of 40 dollars to see it.

People felt cheated when photos taken through the tank glass showed the fishy robot, sporting obvious gaps in its torso where its segments have been connected, evoking a prop from a cheesy SyFy channel shark movie.

Outraged people flooded Xiaomeisha with a wave of criticism online. They demanded their money back for showing the fake shark. One of the users wrote, "The aquarium is too small, and even the whale shark is fake. By 3 PM, visitors were already asking for their money back."

The other criticism showed a user writing,"The whale shark exhibit was the biggest letdown. I was so excited to see a real one, but it turned out to be fake. Even if it's for animal protection, I would prefer they didn't have any exhibit at all rather than showing a fake one. It's completely uninteresting."

Xiaomeisha Sea World addressed the controversy, stating that the robot shark which cost millions of Chinese yuan to construct was not displayed to the visitors. Still, it was to follow the protocol that prohibited the trade and capture of whale sharks.

Critics of the shark exhibit were unhappy with the use of artificial fins, preferring no fins at all. One critic also raised concerns about the live fish, pointing out that some had white spots, indicating a health issue. They mentioned that while most visitors might overlook this, anyone familiar with tropical fish care would recognize the problem. Overall, they felt the fish care was not professional enough, according to the New York Post.

China has faced similar controversies various times in the past regarding animal exhibit and deception. One of the controversies that sparked was dogs being painted to make them look like pandas in Taizhou Zoo in China. This raised a major concern over animal safety and welfare in the city. 

To attract more visitors during the May Day holiday, a zoo promoted "Xiong Mao Quan," or "panda dogs." According to the New York Post, zoo staff trimmed the fur and dyed the faces of two chow dogs to make them look like mini pandas. The dogs were on display daily from 8 am to 5 pm, drawing large crowds.