Some good news for opponents of Grandview Mall’s controversial Ocean World Aquarium this week with an announcement from China’s State Forestry Bureau (CSFB) that the ill-intentioned breeding and taming of wildlife will not be accepted on their watch.
The CSFB’s statement, published via its Weibo account, is in response to increased public unease over the facility’s planned expansion to house white tigers, giant pandas, monkeys and other creatures.
“Heightened public concern regarding the construction of a mall zoo in Guangzhou has presented itself recently. The point of taming and breeding rare and endangered wild animals is to protect them and promote ecological diversity; thus, the illegal and ill-intentioned taming and breeding of wild animals will be punished accordingly,” the CSFP stated in their September 26 declaration.
The announcement was released roughly a week after the aquarium refused an offer by the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in the UK, to relocated the facility’s gloomy polar beer – dubbed “the world’s saddest” – to a more appropriate facility.
“Apart from the basic need for food, intelligent animals such as pandas and tigers also have psychological requirements,” Hu Hui, a research fellow with the South China Institute of Endangered Animals, told Guangzhou Daily. “The small and confined space of a mall zoo cannot ensure an animal’s welfare, and may harm animals’ mental health.”
While it’s clear the State Forestry Bureau will not tolerate Grandview’s asinine expansion plans, it’s not yet obvious what action they plan to take. A petition calling for the aquarium’s closure currently has over half a million signatures.
READ MORE: Controversial Grandview Mall Zoo Set to Expand Despite Outcry
[Images via The Dodo]
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