--- title: "Influencer Fined for Eating Endangered Great White Shark" description: "A Chinese influencer who thought it was a great idea to purchase, grill, and eat a whole great white shark has been fined by her country for doing so." date: "2023-01-31" modified: "2023-01-31" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/influencer-shark-fine" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "influencers" - "sharks" - "the digest" - "tiktok" --- # Influencer Fined for Eating Endangered Great White Shark ![A Chinese influencer who thought it was a great idea to purchase, grill, and eat a whole great white shark has been fined by her country for doing so.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Smells Fishy A Chinese vlogger who thought it was a great idea to purchase, grill, and eat a whole great white shark, has been fined by her country for doing so, [*CBS News* reports]() — testament to the fact that people are willing to go to extreme lengths for fame on the internet. According to a [statement from local authorities]() in Nanchong, a city in Sichuan province, the influencer, who goes by the handle Tizi, has been fined the equivalent of roughly $18,500 after she posted a video about her shark-eating journey to China's Douyin video microblogging platform last year. ## Tender Meat The Nanchong Market Supervision Bureau claimed in its statement that the girl, whose real name is Jin, purchased the endangered animal from the Alibaba-owned e-commerce marketplace Taobao for the equivalent of $1,100 in April 2022. She subsequently posted videos of herself cooking and eating the animal in July of that year. "Don't be fooled by its scary appearance," Tizi says in a translation of [the infamous video](), "its meat is very tender." ![]() Following an investigation that involved testing tissue samples for DNA, authorities said they found that the animal in question had indeed been a great white shark, a species that is protected under China's Wild Animal Protection Law. Along with fining Jin, authorities also arrested two men they accused of having sold the endangered shark to Jin. ## Animal Cruelty As serious as this case is, it's far from the first time users have caught flak over animals displayed on Douyin's [sister site]() TikTok. Last year, a TikToker based in the UK jokingly [claimed he was building a "frog army"]() when he found 1.4 million frog eggs in a pond near his house — and quickly was shot down by experts who warned of dangers to the local ecosystem. The "frog army" stunt was topped by an American user who said he [released 100 million ladybugs]() in New York City's Central Park and subsequently alleged that he'd fled the country after being served a lawsuit about it. Needless to say, all of these situations are not only gross, but they also serve as an unfortunate reminder of how stupid and cruel people can be. **More on animals:** [*Huge Aquarium Bursts, Spills Tropical Fish And Injures Bystanders*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()