Shanghai’s newest museum has been forced to issue a stern warning to visitors after a starfish was killed and a model was broken just days after it opened.

The Shanghai Natural History Museum said ‘uncivilised behaviour’ was to blame for the sea creature’s death and a toe being snapped off a plastic Komodo dragon.

Photos have also emerged online of a child urinating in a display, TimeOut Shanghai reported.

The museum said a starfish died after it was pulled out of its tank by visitors who wanted to take pictures

Chinese media said the starfish died after it was pulled out of a pool by visitors who wanted to snap pictures.

Gu Jieyan, director of the display service department at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, which oversees the natural history museum, told the Shanghai Daily: ‘We didn’t have many volunteers and staff supervising display areas at that time and lacked experience.

‘Some visitors who took starfish and fish out of the pool for taking pictures.

‘We asked them to put them back and taught them how to properly touch the sea creatures.’

As a result the museum has taken a few precautions to protect its exhibits.

It is fitting glass tops over its pools outside of the limited ‘touching time’ and increasing patrols, the Shanghai Daily reported. Staff have already replaced the plastic Komodo dragon’s broken claw.

Visitors have also been blamed for snapping the toe off a plastic Komodo dragon at the museum

The Shanghai Natural History Museum opened in its new location in the Jing’an Sculpture Park to great fanfare on April 19.

There have been long queues at the door amid the excitement around the new location and interactive exhibits, including pools where visitors are allowed to touch sea creatures.

A post on the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum’s Weibo page urged visitors to treat exhibits with respect and follow the guidance of staff.

The Shanghai Natural History Museum posted a photo showing the toe after it was repaired by staff

China’s national tourism authority recently launched a blacklist to discourage ‘uncivilised behaviour’ and punish those who don’t follow the rules.

It took the unusual step after a number of misbehaving tourists attracted worldwide attention for their antics at home and abroad.

Four people have been added to the blacklist so far.

They include a woman who threw a cup of hot water and noodles at an AirAsia flight attendant, and her boyfriend, who was accused of threatening to blow up the plane.