A Chinese tiktoker faces ten years in prison after consuming great white shark

Chinese police have opened an investigation after a female vlogger posted a controversial video showing her eating a great white shark, a protected species, authorities and local media said.

The images of the young woman, known as Tizi and followed by almost eight million people, show her roasting, boiling and then tasting the meat of the great predator. They provoked outraged reactions on the Chinese internet.

Police in the city of Nanchong, in the western province of Sichuan, confirmed on Sunday, July 31, that it was indeed a great white shark, according to the Chinese media Fengmian.

marinated and roasted

“The meat is so tender,” says Tizi in this video posted in mid-July on Douyin, the current name of TikTok in China, as she feasts on large chunks of grilled meat.

In these images, widely republished by Chinese media and netizens, we see the young woman unpacking the two-meter-long fish and lying down next to it to emphasize its sheer size.

The shark is then cut in half, marinated and grilled, while the head is cooked in a spicy broth, classic Chinese fish preparation methods.

“Public security” police are conducting an “investigation” into the case, the Nanchong Municipal Bureau of Agriculture said in a statement on Monday (Aug 1).

Up to ten years in prison

Great white sharks are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “vulnerable” species list, just below “endangered” species.

Global shark populations have been decimated in recent decades, in part due to fishing.

In China, sharks are on the list of protected species. Its possession is illegal and can be punished with up to ten years in prison.

“These uneducated are ready for the worst baseness just to get attention,” lamented another.

It was not immediately clear if Tizi is personally under investigation or facing sanction.