Aquarium's whale shark seen by thousands of visitors revealed to be a robot

A Chinese aquarium that had been shut for five years while renovation work took place finally reopened to October 1 and it had a new star attraction to wow its visitors.

There was a much-hyped whale shark that would be on display for people of all ages to get a glimpse of at the Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen.

New York Post said that during its week-long dry run, the ocean zoo attracted around 100,000 visitors who paid around $40 (£30) to enter.

But visitors quickly realised that things weren't all they seemed.

A lot of people felt cheated out of their money when they realised the sea beast was actually a metal robot swimming around and not the real thing.

The 'whale shark' at Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen has been revealed to be a robot, unlike the one pictured Philip Thurston, iStock

A number of frustrated visitors vented their feelings online.

One said: "The venue isn't large enough and even the whale shark is artificial. By 3 o'clock, people were already demanding refunds."

Another posted: "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. It's not interesting at all."

Some claimed the real fish that were on display there were not being kept in good health either.

According to New York Post: "Xiaomeisha reps have since addressed the criticism, claiming the robo-shark - which cost millions of Chinese yuan to construct - was not devised to 'catfish' visitors but rather to adhere to laws banning the trade of whale sharks."

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