A group of snorkelers from China have come under fire for catching, cooking and eating endangered marine creatures such as giant clams and nautiloids at the disputed Paracel Islands, and posting pictures online.
The tourists had bragged in their blog post online about harvesting and feasting on rare and endangered creatures during their stay on the islands, according to a report on Shanghaiist.
Sovereignty over the Paracel Islands is currently disputed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. At present, administration of the area is under Hainan province of China.
In particular, one species, the giant clam, is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and is at risk due to habitat destruction.
Their actions have earned them the ire of netizens from China and beyond, who have condemned their actions as damaging to the reputation of Chinese tourists.
Travellers from China have earned a poor reputation for themselves in the wake of such incidents as the boy who scrawled his name in Mandarin characters on a temple at Luxor, in Egypt. He later unapologetically posted, 'what's the big deal?'