India, March 5 -- China Anne McClain broke her silence after being criticised for touching resting sea turtles in Paia, Maui. The 26-year-old recently came under fire after a video, filmed by her sister Sierra McClain during their Hawaiian getaway, quickly went viral. In the now-deleted clip, the Disney star approached a group of sleeping turtles and caressed one of them on its back.

"Just found this turtle gem @mynameissisi captured on our Hawaii trip," McClain captioned the clip shared on Instagram. "Found so many other pics from this beautiful, healing place that I might share. Don't be shocked if I pack up & move to Maui one of these days!" New York Post reported.

The video garnered over half a million views and thousands of comment...