A tourist has come under fire after she was filmed sitting on an endangered tortoise at a leisure park in Foshan, southern China, while the animal appeared to struggle to move under her weight.
The incident reportedly happened on August 21 and quickly drew criticism online after footage of the encounter circulated on social media. The video shows the woman sitting on the back of a tortoise as it attempts to crawl through the sand.
The woman was also seen laughing during the incident and appearing to encourage her young son to join her. Witnesses claimed other children later followed the behaviour, with some reportedly standing on the backs of other tortoises inside the enclosure.
According to an onlooker who recorded the footage, the family allegedly kicked and stepped on the tortoise. The witness also claimed that no park staff intervened despite warning signs instructing visitors not to sit or stand on the animals.
The animal involved was identified as a juvenile African spurred tortoise, also known as a Sulcata tortoise, a species native to the Sahara Desert. It was reportedly around 40 centimetres in shell length.
The footage prompted widespread anger, with social media users accusing the woman of setting a poor example for her children. Some also questioned whether the park had adequate supervision to prevent visitors from mistreating the animals.
One commenter described the incident as animal abuse and said it was distressing to watch the tortoise attempting to escape. Another praised the woman’s son for refusing to follow her example, while others questioned whether the warning signs at the park were being properly enforced.
Changlu Tourism and Leisure Park initially said it would examine the tortoise’s condition and investigate claims that staff had failed to intervene. The park later confirmed that the animal had been examined and was found to be in good health.
The park said it would increase patrols and instruct staff to intervene should similar behaviour occur in future. It also warned that a tortoise’s shell is connected to its spine and ribs and contains nerves and blood vessels.
Although the shell provides significant protection, the park said excessive pressure could potentially result in hidden cracks, spinal injuries or compression of the animal’s internal organs.
The woman has not been reported to face any repercussions over the incident.
