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This is the moment a beluga whale approaches a toddler at an oceanarium before opening its mouth as if it is going to eat her, leaving the youngster in tears.
The incident happened in Dezhou, a city in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, and the video was shared on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on 8th August.
Footage shows the whale swimming up to the glass as the toddler stands in front of it with her mother.
It moves its head from side to side before opening its mouth wide, close to the glass.
The child bursts into tears and turns towards her mother while the whale remains close.
Onlookers can be heard reacting in the background as the girl hides her face.
According to the scenic area’s customer service department, the whale was not trying to eat the girl and the behaviour is not the result of artificial training.
They said it is the whale’s natural way of interacting with visitors.
The clip comes after a similar encounter in which a playful three-year-old trying to get a closer look at an aquarium’s beluga whale burst into tears when the gentle giant opened its jaws.
Phone footage from the zoo in Tianjin, northern China, shows the boy clambering onto a shelf past a visitor barrier to get nearer to the tank.
When the white whale, which can grow to nearly 20 feet long, swims over to the glass wall, he suddenly loses his nerve.
As the ocean mammal opens its huge mouth wide, the boy drops down wailing onto his tummy and buries his head in his hands.
That footage was also shared on Douyin, on 8th June.
The lad’s mum said: “He is usually very brave.”
Belugas are known to be highly social and affectionate sea mammals that can often be seen kissing their pod-mates with snout-to-snout contact.
Experts say they seem fascinated by humans and frequently approach the windows in observation tanks to watch them.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Marija Stojkoska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Video Editor: David Stojkovic
Byline Copychecker: Emily Wu
Byline Illustrator: Angela Trajkovska
Byline News Editor: Mike Leidig
Geography: Dezhou
Subject: Accidents, Accidents Involving People, Animals, Marine Animals, Whales, Humans, Children
T4 Editor Story Rating: 6
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 9
T4 Total rating: 7.5
