KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — A Chinese food vlogger has been fined 125,000 yuan (RM78,403) for cooking and eating a shark.

The vlogger, from Nanchong city in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, had bought the meat online at 7,700 yuan (RM4,830) on April 13 last year before cooking and eating it while posing for photographs on May 29 and June 2.

Identified by her surname Jin, the influencer, who uses the handle Tizi on social media, went on to upload a video of the meat being boiled and barbecued on popular video platforms Kuaishou and Douyin on July 12, Global Times reported.

This led to an outrage among Chinese social media users who criticised her for being an attention seeker by consuming protected species.

Based on the identification of the DNA from the tissue samples, the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences believes that the meat consumed by Jin was a great white shark, which is an endangered species on China’s National List of Protected Wild Animals.

Jin was given administrative punishment for violating the Wildlife Protection Law by the local market watchdog in Nanchong.

The person who sold Jin the meat, identified by his surname Shen and the fisherman, identified by his surname Yan, were also arrested by police in Zhangzhou city in East China’s Fujian Province.

According to the portal, China passed the draft revision to the Wildlife Protection Law on January 4 and the amended law will be enacted on May 1.

The amended law will increase penalties for related violations including hunting, trading and transporting terrestrial wild animals that grow and reproduce naturally in the wild environment for the purpose of food.