Grandview Mall Aquarium
Date openedJanuary 9, 2016
LocationTianhe Road and Tiyu Road East
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Volume of largest tank270 cubic meters

The Grandview Mall Aquarium, also known as "The Ocean World," is on the sixth floor of Grandview Shopping Mall (Zhengjia Square) in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. The aquarium is considered one of the longest in a shopping mall in China.[1] The main tank in the aquarium is approximately 30 meters long, 3 meters wide and 3 meters high. Over 2000 fish, 200 sting rays, 30 sharks are housed within.[2] The aquarium also includes mammals, such as the arctic fox, polar bear, walrus, beluga, and others.

Animal abuse

In early 2016, Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) began campaigning for the release and closure of the aquarium due to poor conditions.[3] The organization have issued online petitions that have reached over 400,000 signatures and counting calling for the closure of the themepark.[4]

Pizza the polar bear

On March 17, 2016, AAF released a video of a male polar bear, 'Pizza', in his enclosure at the theme park.[5] The video appears to show the bear lying on his side and crying due to his entrapment in the unnatural environment. The video was viewed over 600,000 times. Pizza has been deemed the "world's saddest polar bear" due to the inhumane conditions of the theme park, as shown in the highly publicized video.[6] A petition called for the bear's relocation to Yorkshire Wildlife Park.[citation needed]

As a result, the aquarium was put under renovation. In November 2016, the Grandview Mall Aquarium announced Pizza would be moved temporarily to upgrade and optimize his living conditions.[7] Animal rights activists applauded the aquarium's move and are still working towards the bear's release.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Guangzhou Grandview Mall". Archived from the original on 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
  2. ^ "Grandview Ocean World: an Aquarium in a Shopping Mall_Life of Guangzhou".
  3. ^ "Animals Asia returns to Grandview as it continues to make headlines". Animals Asia Foundation.
  4. ^ "World's 'saddest' polar bear kept in Chinese mall". BBC.
  5. ^ "The tragic bear that suffers for selfies". YouTube.
  6. ^ Didi Kirsten Tatlow (October 25, 2016). "The 'Saddest' Polar Bear Lives in a Mall in China". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Didi Kirsten Tatlow (November 14, 2016). "'World's Saddest Polar Bear' to Get a Temporary Reprieve From Home in Chinese Mall". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "China's animal groups join call to free polar bear at Guangzhou's Grandview Mall as new video raises concerns about his mental decline". Humane Society International. October 25, 2016.


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