Zoos in China attach baskets to turtle shells.

A tourist took a photo of the "begging" turtle and shared it on Weibo, criticizing the zoo for allowing the turtle to live in a "bad environment" without supervision, and for exploiting the animal to "rip off" visitors. The person also called on the National Forestry Administration and state-run media to investigate.

This poor turtle belongs to the Sulcata tortoise species, native to Africa, and is classified as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is also one of the largest turtles in the world, weighing over 45 kg, and has attracted many visitors to the zoo.

Many Chinese people believe that throwing coins brings good luck. However, this superstitious practice has been criticized since earlier this year when a Chinese man threw two coins into an airplane engine just before takeoff, causing the flight to fail.

Huong Thao