Aquarium slammed as star 'whale shark' isn't all it seems to be

An aquarium has been slammed for after its star 'whale ' turned out to be nothing more than a .

Xiaomeisha World in Shenzhen, re-opened to much fanfare on October 1 after a five-year renovation. The 60,000sqm sea park attracted around 100,000 visitors during its seven-day trial run.

But many were left feeling short-changed after its star whale shark turned out to be a mechanical likeness. Snaps taken through the large tank's glass show how the specimen is clearly a man-made imitation.

For example, gaps in the body where different pieces had been joined together could be seen. Visitors were said to be furious after paying 280 RMB (£30) a ticket to see what turned ultimately out to be a giant pretend fish.

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One person wrote in a scathing review: "The park isn't big enough, even the whale shark is artificial. By 3pm, people were already calling for refunds on-site."

In response, Xiaomeisha Ocean World said it had put the robot on display because live whale sharks are now prohibited from being traded. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest known extant fish species, with the largest ever confirmed at a huge 18.8m long.

The mechanical likeness reportedly cost millions of Chinese yuan to build. Another reviewer wrote: "The most disappointing part was the whale shark exhibit. When I heard the name, I was full of anticipation, but when I arrived, I saw a mechanical whale shark.

"Even though it's for the sake of animal protection, I'd rather they didn't have one at all than show a fake one. It's not interesting at all." The same visitor also criticised the sea park's live fish, writing: "The fish care was not professional enough. I noticed that some of the fish in the tanks had white spots.

"Most people wouldn't notice, but anyone who's kept tropical fish knows that's white spot disease. Some of the fish didn't appear to be in good health."

Xiaomeisha Ocean World is not the first Chinese animal park to have left visitors feeling defrauded, however. Earlier this year in May, Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province was accused of dying Chow Chow to resemble pandas.