Over the weekend former Disney star, China Anne McClain, shared video from her Hawaiian vacation showing her gently stroking a sea turtle she found on the beach.
Later China is forced to apologize after her post was flooded with comments telling her that touching the turtles is illegal...
From Hawaii News Now
An actress known for her roles in multiple Disney productions is apologizing after she recently posted a video gently touching resting turtles in Hawaii.
Actress China Anne McClain is at the center of the fallout. Her sister Sierra McClain was filming.
In a now-deleted video once posted to her Instagram page, she’s seen walking up to to the turtles and begins touching them.
One environmental activist says that’s likely a violation of federal protection laws, however state officials say that might not be the case.
The video was posted sometime over the weekend, and quickly went viral for the wrong reasons.
It was taken in Paia on the north side of Maui, though Hawaii News Now hasn’t been able to confirm the exact location.
In an update put out by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources late Monday afternoon, McClain and her sister apologized and said the video was taken two years ago.
“I was not fully aware of the situation until today, and I certainly wasn’t aware of the laws,” McClain told the DLNR.
“It’s the people I don’t want to hurt. I understand respecting culture, and I understand the pain that comes with not having your culture respected. Those are never lines that we cross intentionally, so that part of this situation is hurting us right now. I adore these beautiful turtles, and the people of Hawaii. We’re very sorry,” she added.
Her father and manager, Michael McClain, added, “All our family loves and respects Hawaii and we apologize for inadvertently causing this pain.”
Before it was deleted, the caption of the video said in part: “Just found this turtle gem... Found so many other pics from this beautiful healing place that I might share. Don’t be shocked if I pack up and move to Maui one of these days.”
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