Former Disney star China McClain under fire over turtle video

Former Disney star China Anne McClain has come under fire after she posted a video of herself in Hawaii touching turtles.

Newsweek has reached out to a representative for McClain and to Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) outside of regular working hours via email for comment.

Why It Matters

In Hawaii, it is illegal to touch sea turtles because they are protected under federal and state laws to ensure both their conservation and well-being.

McClain has acted in multiple Disney productions. She starred as Chyna Parks in the series A.N.T. Farm and as Uma in the films Descendants 2, Descendants 3 and Descendants: The Rise of Red. She has over 7 million followers on Instagram.

What to Know

The video was shared by McClain on her Instagram, and was filmed by her sister, Sierra McClain. In the clip, which has now been deleted, she was seen walking up to and touching the turtles.

The video quickly went viral and became the subject of criticism and backlash online.

Prior to the footage being taken down, Hawaii Governor Josh Green commented on it saying: “Aloha China, I urge you to educate yourself on Hawaii’s laws and the importance of protecting our marine life before visiting our islands.”

The DLNR shared a press release to its Facebook page following the video being posted and the fallout. It detailed that McClain, her sister and her father had reached out to the DLNR to apologize, after the DLNR made multiple phone calls and sent emails to the McClain sisters and their representatives to ask that the post be taken down.

McClain told the DLNR: “I was not fully aware of the situation until today, and I certainly wasn’t aware of the laws. The video was from two years ago when we visited Hawai’i and I came across it in my phone and decided to post it.”

Her sister told the DLNR that: “We have an immense amount of respect for the residents of Hawai’i and their intent to safeguard their land & their wildlife,” adding that they: “Plan to take the necessary precautions in the future when traveling.”

What People Are Saying

China Anne 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 Hawai’i. We’re very sorry.”

Brian Neilson, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources administrator, said in a press release: “Although we understand it was probably not intentional, this is not a pono way to interact with Hawaiian wildlife. We encourage the sharing of positive behaviors on social media to inspire others to appreciate and protect our beautiful surroundings.”

What’s Next

The DLNR advises that when people see turtles, they stay at least 10 feet away from them, avoid touching, chasing, feeding or interfering with adults or hatchlings and avoid blocking the turtles’ access to or from the ocean.

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