Recently, videos of boiled and grilled shark filmed by a popular food blogger have attracted attention. The sharks featured in the videos are the endangered great white shark (also known as the man-eating shark). Great white sharks are a Class II protected animal in my country. According to Chinese law, hunting, killing, illegally transporting, purchasing, and selling them constitutes the crime of "endangering precious and endangered wild animals." The police are currently investigating the blogger, "Tizi," and related issues.
The shark featured in a popular food vlogger's video has been confirmed as a Class II protected animal in China.
On July 14th, a food influencer named "Tizi" posted videos of herself boiling and grilling shark, which went viral online. Some science bloggers pointed out that the shark in the videos was a great white shark, an internationally endangered species and equivalent to a Class II protected animal in China. The hashtag "#InfluencerSuspectedOfUsingEndangeredGreatWhiteSharkInFood" quickly trended on social media. On July 15th, when media outlets contacted "Tizi" by phone to inquire about her purchase channels, she stated that she had repeatedly confirmed with the seller that the shark's origin was legitimate.
On August 1st, reports surfaced that a woman known online as "Tizi" claimed to have purchased a great white shark, a Class II protected animal in China, from JD.com, originating from the coastal region of Fujian. That evening, JD.com responded, stating that after repeated screening and verification, the great white shark reportedly purchased by the online celebrity "Tizi" was not sold on JD.com. Further inquiries with multiple relevant law enforcement departments revealed that the great white shark was sold on other online shopping platforms. The Nanchong Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Sichuan Province subsequently issued a statement saying, "Recently, our bureau has noticed online media reports stating that the online celebrity 'Tizi' purchased a great white shark from JD.com, which is inconsistent with the facts of the case. The relevant results will be subject to the investigation by the public security department." At the same time, a staff member of the bureau confirmed in an interview that the shark involved was a man-eating shark.
Currently, all videos from the short video account of the internet celebrity "Tizi" have been removed. The relevant case is under further investigation.
The great white shark, also known as the man-eating shark, is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), equivalent to a Class II protected animal in my country. In March 2017, the Office of Endangered Species Import and Export Management of my country published the "List of Wild Animals or Their Products Prohibited or Restricted from Trade by International Conventions to which the People's Republic of China is a Party," which included the great white shark. Article 10 of the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates: "The State implements classified and graded protection of wild animals. The State implements key protection for precious and endangered wild animals. Wild animals under key national protection are divided into Class I protected wild animals and Class II protected wild animals. The list of wild animals under key national protection is formulated by the wildlife protection department under the State Council after scientific evaluation, and is adjusted every five years based on the evaluation results. The list of wild animals under key national protection is submitted to the State Council for approval and promulgation." According to the Criminal Law, anyone who illegally hunts or kills precious or endangered wild animals under key national protection, or illegally purchases, transports, or sells precious or endangered wild animals under key national protection or their products, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also be fined; if the circumstances are serious, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than ten years, and a fine shall also be imposed; if the circumstances are particularly serious, the sentence shall be fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, and a fine or confiscation of property shall also be imposed.
What is a great white shark?
The great white shark, scientifically known as *Carcharodon spp.*, is a large predatory shark belonging to the family Carcharodontidae and the genus *Carcharodon*. It is the largest living predatory fish in the world. It is widely distributed in all the world's oceans, and in my country, it is mainly found in the East China Sea, the waters northeast of Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
Newborn great white sharks are between 109 and 165 centimeters long. Adult females can grow to over 6.4 meters in length and weigh 1,905 to 2,268 kilograms. The average length of females to males is 4.6 to 4.9 meters and 3.4 to 4.0 meters, respectively. Judging from their size, the internet celebrity in this case likely ate a baby great white shark.
Great white sharks have few rivals in the ocean and are the natural enemies of most marine life. They typically hunt by ambush, reaching speeds of up to 56 kilometers per hour. When they spot prey, they will stalk it for a while, then dive to the bottom to wait for an opportunity. Once they confirm the chance, they will attack from below. Usually, a single attack will severely injure the prey, while the great white shark slowly waits for it to bleed to death.
Internet celebrities eat protected animals
With the rise of short videos, many people have started targeting unusual animals to attract attention. A Weibo user named "阿壮锅本人" ate a whelk, also known as a conch, which was listed as a Class II protected animal in China on January 4th of this year, with the approval of the State Council. As a result, this blogger was arrested.
A Cambodian couple, known for their online fame, livestreamed themselves eating wild animals to attract attention. However, the animals they consumed included many endangered species, such as fishing cats, king cobras, lizards, and sharks. After receiving a report, the local environmental protection department quickly issued an arrest warrant, and the couple voluntarily surrendered themselves to the authorities.
It's not just rare animals like great white sharks; nowadays, almost all wild animals are protected species, such as sparrows, frogs, geckos, pheasants, and rabbits. There are over 1,700 species of protected animals alone. If you were to harm them, you could easily be fined, and the fines can be substantial, with serious cases even leading to imprisonment.
The "Standardized Value Catalogue of Terrestrial Wild Animals" details the benchmark prices for various animals. The most valuable is naturally the giant panda at 500,000 yuan, followed by the tiger at 100,000 yuan. The giant squirrel (Sciuridae) is priced at 300 yuan, all species of the Cricetidae family are 50 yuan, and all species of the Muridae family are also 50 yuan. Pheasants (also known as wild chickens) are 300 yuan each, flies are 20 yuan, mantises (Mantodactyla) are 20 yuan, mosquitoes are 20 yuan, bees are 20 yuan, geckos are 300 yuan, bamboo rats are 200 yuan, hedgehogs are 200 yuan, sparrows are 300 yuan, and so on.
There are many food vloggers online now. In order to attract attention and gain popularity, many people use some rare and bizarre foods. However, they may break the law if they are not careful, so it is best for everyone to be more careful.
