A Japanese theme park has come under harsh criticism after it opened its latest skating ice rink with more than 5,000 dead sea creatures on display. The Space World theme park, which advertised the exhibit as being a world's first, has had to shut down the rink due to visitors complaining that it as disrespectful.
The park, which is located in Kitakyushu City, launched their "Freezing Port" theme as a limited time only spring and winter exhibit. The intention of the organizers behind the move at the park was apparently to generate interest in marine life, the BBC reported.
Visitors to the park could rent a pair of skates and glide over a variety of fish frozen on the ice at different points in the rink. The skating rink also featured enlarged pictures of whale sharks fused into the ice which visitors mistook as being real.
Following the barrage of criticism from visitors and viewers online, park officials have issued an apology to visitors. The exhibit has now been closed.
Toshimi Takeda, the general manager of the park, said the organization is making preparations to hold a memorial for the fishes. Pictures posted on the park's social media accounts have since been taken down.
According to the Tokyo Reporter, many of the fishes used for the attractions were not fit for retail sale and were gotten from public fish markets. Officials claimed that the fish were already dead when they were frozen into the ice.
Some visitors had reportedly seen trails of blood in the ice, making the experience unpleasant. The bodies of the fishes were found sticking out from the ice. Officials claim this was due to the ice melting after the attraction was launched.
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