The images of the young woman, known as Tizi, show her grilling, cooking and then tasting the meat of the large predator. They triggered outraged reactions on the Chinese Internet.
According to Chinese media outlet Fengmian, police in the city of Nanchong, southwest China’s Sichuan province, confirmed on Sunday that the shark is indeed a great white shark.
“The meat is very tender,” Tizi says in this video posted online in mid-July while feasting on large chunks of grilled meat.
In these images, widely reposted by Chinese media and netizens, we see the young woman unwrap the two-meter-long fish and lie down next to it to emphasize its size.
The shark is then cut in half, marinated and grilled, while the head is simmered in a flavorful broth—classic fish preparation methods in China.
An “investigation” into the case is currently being conducted by “public security” police, the Nanchong City Agriculture Bureau said in a statement Monday.
Great white sharks are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of “Vulnerable” species – just below “Vulnerable” 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. Their possession is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
“It’s just incredible that a web star could eat a protected animal in front of millions of people in broad daylight,” wrote a user on the Weibo social network, matching most of the comments.
“These uneducated are ready for the worst baseness just to get attention,” lamented another.
It was not immediately clear whether Tizi was being investigated personally or whether a penalty was imminent.