The Grandview Mall Aquarium, also known as "The Ocean World," is on the second floor of
Grandview Shopping Mall (
Zhengjia Square) in the city of
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong Province
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. 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 cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
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 species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...
,
polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
,
walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...
,
beluga
Beluga may refer to:
Animals
*Beluga (sturgeon)
* Beluga whale
Vehicles
* Airbus Beluga, a large transport airplane
* Airbus BelugaXL, a larger transport airplane
* Beluga-class submarine, a class of Russian SSA diesel-electric submarine
* U ...
, and others.
Exhibits
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
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
, '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.
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
References
Tourist attractions in Guangzhou
Buildings and structures in Guangzhou
Aquaria in China
Animal welfare and rights in China
Animal welfare
External links
Grandview Aquariumat
Xiaohongshu
Xiaohongshu (XHS; zh, s=小红书, p=Xiǎohóngshū, l=little red book), known in English as RedNote, is a Chinese social networking and E-commerce in China, e-commerce platform.
, 70% of the platform's users are reportedly born after 1990, a ...
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