A Russian mermaid performer, who went viral after a fish in the aquarium tank she was swimming in attacked her, is speaking out after the scary incident.
It was Tuesday, Jan. 28 when 22-year-old Mariia Zelenina, who performs under the name “Masha,” was featured in an aquatic show in China’s Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park — a job she’d enjoyed for the past 10 months.
courtesy Mariia Zelenina
Photo from Mariia Zelenina
While floating underwater before cheerful children and other park guests, things quickly took a turn when one of the larger fish suddenly inhaled her head.
Zelenina tells PEOPLE she was with another mermaid performer just moments before the incident.
“We had a show,” she recalls. “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.”
Related: SeaWorld Trainer Dies in Killer Whale Attack
According to the swimmer, the fish responsible was a Chinese sturgeon.
The Critically Endangered freshwater fish is found in the Yangtze River, as well as marine waters off the coast of China, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They can reach up to 16 feet.
“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,” Zelenina tells PEOPLE.
courtesy Mariia Zelenina
Photo from Mariia Zelenina
Video captured the frightful attack, which showed Zelenina pulling herself free. Her goggles came off during the encounter as terrified onlookers watched in horror from the other side of the tank’s glass.
“I was shocked, I didn’t feel anything,” she says.
Refuting reports that she was “forced” to go back to work after, Zelenina tells PEOPLE, “I was immediately taken to the hospital.”
She added that there was no rush for her to return, and that she would be back once she felt better.
courtesy Mariia Zelenina
Photo from Mariia Zelenina
“I’m resting now because my eye still hurts and I can’t come into contact with water,” the Russian swimmer says.
Since the clip went viral online, Zelenina says she’s read many stories that simply aren’t true.
Related: Child Dragged Underwater by River Otter in Rare Attack, Rescued by Mom
“They also write that my superiors threatened me, but that’s not the case either. Of course, they didn’t want the whole country to know about it, but it was inevitable,” she tells PEOPLE.
Despite the brutal underwater attack that left her with bruises covering her face, Zelenina says she’s fine overall.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It was unexpected. Of course, I was scared, but a lot of things can happen in life and you need to treat it with humor,” she says. “I feel good. I remember this situation as a joke. I wasn’t afraid of these fish.”
“Foreigners are treated very well here,” she adds of living and working in China.
Read the original article on People
