Video: Visitor holding a child climbs onto a live tortoise at Chinese amusement park

A video circulating on social media shows a woman at the Changlu tourism and leisure park in Guangdong province, China, climbing onto the back of a live tortoise while holding a small child in her arms. In the footage, the woman stands fully on the reptile and even squats down, while the animal visibly struggles to move under her weight.

The public outrage was intensified by the fact that clearly visible warning signs at the site prohibited sitting or standing on the animals.

Park's response

After the video spread online and drew widespread condemnation, park management announced it would introduce stricter measures — visitors found mistreating animals will now be placed on a "blacklist" and barred from entering the park in future.

Tortoise's condition

Park representatives said a veterinarian examined the tortoise immediately after the incident and assessed its health as good.

However, experts caution that a tortoise's shell is not an impenetrable "armor." Specialists explain that the shell is living tissue connected to the animal's skeleton. A human's weight and impact can cause severe internal fractures that are not visible from the outside — meaning the animal may appear healthy while actually having sustained serious injuries.