[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
 
[2] A viral influencer from Sichuan, known as "Tizi," sparked widespread controversy after posting videos of boiling and grilling a shark. The shark was identified as a "man-eating shark" (also known as a "great white shark") from Fujian. Following the incident, "Tizi's" accounts on two major short-video platforms were banned.

 
 

Case review
[3] In January 2023, the Nanchong Market Supervision Administration in Sichuan, during the "Spring Thunder Action 2023" enforcement campaign, investigated and penalized a case of illegally purchasing and consuming a nationally protected wild animal (man-eating shark), fining the individual Jin a total of 125,000 yuan.
 
In August 2022, the Nanchong Municipal Market Supervision Bureau received a case transfer from relevant departments, stating that a person surnamed Jin in Gaoping District was suspected of illegally purchasing and consuming nationally protected wild animals. The bureau immediately verified the clues and initiated an investigation. It was found that the involved party, Jin (online alias Tizi), purchased a shark on Taobao on April 13, 2022, for 7,700 yuan. On May 29 and June 2, she posed with and cooked the shark, and on July 12, she posted a video of cooking and eating the shark on the online platforms Kuaishou and Douyin, which subsequently attracted nationwide attention.
 
The South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences identified the shark through DNA barcoding of residual tissue samples as a great white shark, a Class II protected animal listed in the China National Key Protected Wild Animals List. The agricultural and rural department assessed the great white shark's value at 25,000 yuan. Jin's actions violated relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Nanchong Municipal Market Supervision Bureau imposed administrative penalties in accordance with the law.
 
It is reported that the shark seller and catcher, Shen and Yan, have been arrested with approval by the Dongshan County People's Procuratorate in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province.
 
 
Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 30  
It is prohibited to produce or operate food made from nationally protected wild animals or their products, or food made from non-nationally protected wild animals or their products without legal source certification. It is prohibited to illegally purchase nationally protected wild animals or their products for consumption.
 
Article 49  
[1] Anyone who, in violation of Article 30 of this Law, produces, operates, or uses food made from nationally protected wild animals or their products, or from non-nationally protected wild animals or their products without legal source certification, or illegally purchases nationally protected wild animals or their products for consumption, shall be ordered by the competent department of wildlife protection or the market supervision and administration department of the people's government at or above the county level, according to their respective responsibilities, to cease the illegal act, confiscate the wild animals, their products, and illegal gains, and impose a fine of not less than two times but not more than ten times the value of the wild animals and their products; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued according to law.
 
 
[1] The author's perspective
[2] In recent years, the trend of internet celebrity eating broadcasts has emerged. To attract more attention, hosts have to rack their brains for unique strategies, from competitive eaters to rare ingredients, with an increasing variety of themes and gimmicks, making it easy to cross the legal red line inadvertently.
 
[3] From this incident, although the internet celebrity "Tizi" was unaware that the shark she purchased was a nationally protected second-class animal, thus lacking subjective intent, a mistake is still a mistake. Although she was not held criminally liable, administrative penalties and platform account suspension are inevitable, and her eating broadcast career came to an abrupt halt. This shows that for today's internet celebrity bloggers, having good looks or a single skill is far from enough. In today's rule-of-law society, as public figures, they should possess legal awareness, and their teams should include professional legal service personnel to avoid such risks. After all, in the era of self-media, once banned, making a comeback is extremely difficult.