The replica bones of “Hong Kong’s Whale” were installed in the city’s Shek O district after the original skeleton was destroyed in a 2018 super typhoon.
The infant fin whale wandered into Victoria Harbour in 1955, delighting the city’s residents: “It was as improbable as seeing a panda” on nearby Victoria Peak, a spokesperson for the University of Hong Kong’s Swire Institute of Marine Science told the South China Morning Post, but the whale was dying and authorities decided to put it down, preserving its bones.
After a 3D-printed replica deteriorated in 2023, the institute contracted a mainland firm known for constructing dinosaur theme park statues. The institute said the new replica will be used to promote conservation and biodiversity.