‘Sad’ polar bear imprisoned in Chinese mall ‘for shoppers’ selfies’

More than 285,000 people have signed a petition urging the Grandview Aquarium to close

An animal rights group are campaigning to close down a zoo in a Chinese shopping centre holding a polar bear, which activists say is being kept in a small glass enclosure “for selfies”.

More than 285,000 people have signed a petition by Animals Asia urging the Grandview Aquarium in Guangzhou, described as one of “the world’s saddest zoos”, to close.

Opened to the public on 9 January this year, the aquarium is understood to hold two white bears, which the campaign group says are “billed as polar bears” but more likely to be a “polar bear- brown bear hybrid”, five walrus calves, six young beluga whales and two Arctic wolves, according to Animals Asia.

A video shared by the group has sparked controversy after it captured one of the bears lying listlessly on the floor of a small concrete tank.

Video shows 'sad' polar bear in Grandview Aquarium enclosure (Animals Asia)

A second video filmed by the organisation shows a large crowd of shoppers banging on the animal’s enclosure and taking pictures.

Writing in a previous blog post, David Neale, Animal Asia’s animal welfare director, said: “There is no excuse for any animal to be trapped this way but it’s widely believed that polar bears are one of the hardest of all animals to effectively provide for in captivity.

“This bear has no peace and nothing natural to take comfort in.

“We are calling on the Chinese public not to attend this attraction. We are calling for it to be closed down. This is a bear that suffers for what? For selfies? For shopping?”

PETA have claimed visitors to the aquarium saw the animals displaying “symptoms of zoochosis.”

“The walrus calves and beluga whales have been observed swimming in circles in their small tanks, and the bears, Arctic wolves, and foxes pace back and forth excessively and scratch at the walls,” the charity said.

The group has set up a second petition asking Cui Tiankai, ambassador of China to the US, to use his influence to close the Grandview Aquarium.

The owners of Grandview have pledged to redesign the aquarium following the international outrage sparked by the campaigns.

Mr Neale said: “Grandview are genuinely shocked by the international outrage at their aquarium and the awful facilities used to house animals.

“It is unlikely that Grandview will close in the near future - although, as a result of the publicity, much of it is currently closed for redesign.”

Writing earlier this month, Mr Neale added that Animals Asia had been in contact with Grandview’s owners and employees.

Earlier this month, a polar bear dubbed the “world’s saddest”, died at the age of 30 after a lifetime in captivity and displaying signs of stress.

Arturo was the last captive bear in Argentina and died at Mendoza Zoo, four years after his longtime companion Pelusa died of cancer.