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
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
,
Guangdong Province,
China. The aquarium is considered one of the longest in a shopping mall in China. 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
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...
are housed within. The aquarium also includes mammals, such as the
arctic fox
The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in ...
,
polar bear,
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...
,
beluga The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/) (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the wh ...
, 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. The organization have issued online petitions that have reached over 400,000 signatures and counting calling for the closure of the themepark.
Pizza the polar bear
On March 17, 2016, AAF released a video of a male
polar bear-brown bear hybrid, 'Pizza', in his enclosure at the theme park. 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. A petition called for the bear's relocation to
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a wildlife conservation and rehabilition centre and tourist attraction located in Branton, south-east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It opened in 2009 on the site of Brockholes Farm, a former riding sc ...
.
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. Animal rights activists applauded the aquarium's move and are still working towards the bear's release.
See also
*
Animal welfare and rights in China Animal welfare and rights in the People's Republic of China is a topic of growing interest. China has had limited animal protections by international standards, and animal-rights activists have condemned the treatment of animals in the country. Move ...
References
Tourist attractions in Guangzhou
Buildings and structures in Guangzhou
Aquaria in China
Animal welfare and rights in China
Animal welfare
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