World of the Bizarre

'Mermaid' is attacked by a giant fish in bizarre viral video

By T.K. Randall
February 3, 2025

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) In a scene you definitely won't see in Disney's classic animated film The Little Mermaid, a woman who was performing as a mermaid at an aquarium found her entire head being engulfed by the huge mouth of a Chinese sturgeon when the animal unexpectedly swam up behind her.

The bizarre incident, which was caught on video, took place at China's Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park where the 'mermaid' - Mariia Zelenina - was performing in an aquatic show.

While submerged underwater, she was suddenly approached by the huge fish which came right up behind her and attempted to eat her, swallowing up her head in the process.

Fortunately, Zelenina was able to break free and swim to the surface after just a few seconds."We had a show," she told PEOPLE Magazine. "I did the first solo, another girl was waiting for me to do my solo. I almost finished it and was supposed to surface, but a fish pounced on me."

"I didn't understand what was going on, I began to push her away and get out of her mouth. When I surfaced, I realized that I didn't have glasses."

"I was shocked, I didn't feel anything."

Zelenina did sustain a wound on her face and had to be taken to hospital, but was otherwise unscathed. She is now waiting for her injury to heal before returning to the water.

You can check out a video of the incident below.


Source: People.com

Tags: Mermaid, Fish