Big news for animal lovers, polar bear enthusiasts and, well, just decent human beings: Pizza, the “world’s saddest polar bear,” has been removed from Grandview Mall’s Ocean World exhibit, according to the Guangzhou mall’s Weibo account.
The bear, who has become a poster boy for the horrors of animal captivity, will reportedly be moved to his place of birth, an unnamed ocean park in northern China, and reunited with his parents.
While animal welfare groups are cautiously optimistic about the move, there are some who fear that Pizza may be brought back to Grandview’s Ocean World when current renovations are completed.
Humane Society International (HSI) and its partner, the Beijing Capital Animal Welfare Association, are pressing the Guangzhou zoo (read: animal prison) to make Pizza’s repatriation permanent.
“Now we hope that Grandview will learn from this episode and move Pizza permanently so that he never again has to endure the dreadful life in a shopping mall,” said Mdm Qin, Director of Capital Animal Welfare Association in a Sunday Express article. HSI’s Dr. Peter Li added that no amount of renovation would ever render a mall an appropriate location for a polar bear.
When contacted by That’s, a staff member at Ocean World stated she was unsure whether Pizza would be brought back to the zoo when renovations are completed. Admittedly, the mall’s official Weibo account seems to indicate the bear is likely to be brought back, stating:
“Out of the need to upgrade the aquarium, some of our animals, including Pizza the polar bear, will be temporarily away. When the upgrading completes, these animals will gradually come back to the aquarium, their home."
Pizza’s family reunion comes just over two months after Yorkshire Wildlife Park, in the UK, offered to relocate the animal to its polar bear sanctuary.
Dubbed the “world’s saddest polar bear” by numerous media outlets and animal rights groups, Pizza made headlines back in June when video footage surfaced showing the bear living in appalling conditions. The video stirred calls for a boycott of the facility and led to the creation of an online petition demanding the aquarium's closure.
[Images via Daily Mail]
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