The truth about whales 'punishing' visitors for smoking in Chinese aquarium

A man smoking at a Chinese aquarium was suddenly sprayed with water from behind by a beluga whale. The operator later spoke out about the incident.

Tourist's cigarette extinguished by whale? A tourist who was smoking in an aquarium despite the ban was sprayed with water by a beluga whale, extinguishing his cigarette and soaking his clothes.

A video that has been circulating on social media in recent days shows a man standing next to a tank at an aquarium in Dalian City (Liaoning Province, China). He lit a cigarette, ignoring the warning signs and despite being reminded by staff.

Just seconds later, a beluga (white whale) suddenly emerged from the water, spraying a strong stream of water straight onto the man's back, startling him and making him drenched.

On the X platform, the video was described as the moment "a whale extinguishes a cigarette in the coolest way possible", making netizens excited.

A beluga whale sprays water at a tourist believed to be smoking in an aquarium on December 7. Photo: Chongqing Daily.

However, on December 8, a Jimu News reporter contacted the aquarium to verify the incident. A representative surnamed Zhang said that the person appearing in the video was actually an employee, not a visitor.

The situation was staged to make a propaganda video banning smoking in enclosed spaces, while also encouraging tourists to pay attention to fire safety and boldly remind people when witnessing smoking in public places.

The employee said she was initially concerned that her co-worker would be mistaken for a tourist and targeted on social media. She also said the aquarium had worked with firefighters to film a safety video this summer.

In April, another aquarium in Dalian also released a video of a beluga spraying water to "demonstrate fire-fighting skills," which management later confirmed was a fire drill.

A beluga whale shows its delight after splashing water on tourists. Photo: Chongqing Daily.

Regarding the beluga featured in the video, the aquarium representative said that this is the "internet star" of the exhibit, named Thach Luu. The animal is in its "teenage" age, has lived here for 8 years and likes to spray water at people standing near the tank as a way of interaction, not a trained behavior.

During a previous drill, when the firefighters lit a test fire next to the lake, Thach Luu suddenly sprayed water to put out the fire and then poked his head out of the water, making a happy sound, which many people associated with the act of "showing off achievements".

Aquarium staff said it was just a "coincidence", as belugas are smart and playful. The training fire was put out before the fire extinguisher demonstration even began.

Zoologists believe that Pomegranate’s behavior is instinctive. Beluga whales have respiratory tracts sensitive to smoke and irritating odors, so the spraying reaction may have come from self-defense against cigarette smoke or from mimicking the water-spraying actions of caretakers.

Despite possessing the intelligence level of a 3-6 year old child, the beluga cannot understand the "no smoking" rule.

Source: https://znews.vn/thuc-hu-ca-voi-trung-phat-khach-hut-thuoc-trong-thuy-cung-trung-quoc-post1609668.html