Outcry as Chinese ocean park invites children to feed endangered turtles using fishing rods as entertainment Footage shows boys and girls dangling cabbage over green turtles in China The animals were kept in a small pond while being made to entertain visitors Green turtles are protected in China and classified as 'endangered' by WWF Local authorities have shut the activity after receiving reports from web usersBy Tracy You For Mailonline Published: 13:00 GMT, 18 February 2019 | Updated: 13:00 GMT, 18 February 2019 Viewcomments A popular ocean park in China has been criticised after inviting children to feed endangered turtles using fishing rods as entertainment. Footage from Chinese social media shows a group of turtles swimming in a small pond as boys and girls dangle cabbage over them. The park in question, the BHG Fantasy Ocean Park in the city of Yinchuan, opened less than a month ago on January 27. It has been investigated by the city's authorities and the controversial activity has been shut. Footage shows boys and girls enjoying feeding cabbage to endangered green turtles using fishing rods at the BHG Fantasy Ocean Park in the city of Yinchuan. The activity has been shut The news came to light after a visitor to the park posted a video clip of the turtle-feeding attraction on Chinese video site Kuaishou last week. The footage sparked concerns among animal lovers and one of the viewers reported the clip to China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration last week on Twitter-like Weibo. The user wrote in the post: 'Since when have turtles had to live such a hard life?' A manager from the park told local reporters that the activity was designed as 'an experience for children'. 'The price is cheap. Just 10 yuan (£1.1) each time,' the manager, known by her surname Yang, said to BJ News. Ms Yang ensured the well-being of the animals to the public. The BHG Fantasy Ocean Park opened on January 27 in Yinchuan. Pictures shared by the park on its official social media account show the brand new attraction packed with keen tourists She stressed that the park strictly controlled the number of children who could attend the activity each day and keepers would give extra 'nutritious' food to the turtles every afternoon. Adult green turtles are herbivores and their diet mainly comprises seagrasses and algae. The Yinchuan Forestry Administration launched an investigation into the matter shortly after being made aware of the video. The authority said in a statement on Friday that local police had visited the ocean park. The statement said officers had ordered the park's manager to stop harming wild animals and shut the activity immediately. Green turtles are an 'endangered' animal species and its population has shrunk dramatically The Yinchuan Forestry Administration said the turtles in the video were green turtles, which are a second-class protected species in China, and the BHG Fantasy Ocean Park had 10 of them. Green turtles are classified as an 'endangered' animal species by World Wild Life and are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. They are threatened by a number of factors, including over-harvesting of their eggs, hunting and loss of habitat. Its global population has decreased by 90 per cent over the past 50 years, according to The National Wildlife Federation of the United States. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility