Bare necessities Torment of Pizza, the ‘world’s saddest polar bear’, who spends her days trapped in a tiny glass cell in a Chinese shopping mallMobbed by hordes of visitors armed with flashing cameras, the heartbroken beast lives life in an enclosure which has been dubbed a “prison” by animal welfare groups by caroline iggulden, senior feature writer
21st November 2016, 1:21 am
The Sun: Torment Of Pizza The World's Saddest Polar BearPIZZA the polar bear has never felt the chill of snow underneath her giant paws or felt the icy Arctic wind run through her fur.
Instead, she spends her days pacing a tiny cell in a Chinese shopping mall under the constant gaze of cameraphone-wielding hordes who snap selfies through the glass.
The only hint of Pizza’s natural habitat are the crude murals of icebergs daubed on the wall of her enclosure which has been dubbed a “prison” by animal welfare groups.
It is little wonder the three-year-old is known as “the world’s saddest polar bear”.
Pizza routinely halts her relentless pacing and shakes her head erratically, as if somehow trying to protest at her confinement.
Poignantly, she is also regularly spotted pawing at an air vent in her 120sq ft home, hoping for a rare sniff of the outside world.
Pizza’s plight first emerged in the summer when video footage captured by animal rights group Animal Asia Foundation showed Pizza slumped listlessly in her enclosure, her mouth quivering.
It quickly went viral — breaking the hearts of animal lovers worldwide.
Since the start of the year more than a million visitors have flocked to the makeshift “aquarium” at Grandview Shopping Mall in Guangzhou where Pizza is the star attraction.
Pizza has never felt the chill of snow underneath her giant paws or felt the icy Arctic wind run through her fur
The only hint of Pizza’s natural habitat are the crude murals of icebergs daubed on the wall of her enclosure which has been dubbed a “prison” by animal welfare groups
Many of those visitors, who pay £25 to visit the outlet’s “Polar Sea World”, hammer on the glass of Pizza’s prison which is continually illuminated by the glare of camera flashes.
Wendy Higgins, UK spokeswoman for Humane Society International, who have been battling to rescue Pizza from her plight, said: “Polar bears are the most challenging animals to keep in captivity. Their environment is so unique.
“They can start to decline quite rapidly.
Call to release depressed bear kept in Chinese mall zoo
“Pizza’s situation is one of the worst I have seen, the conditions fall well below international standards.
“China does not have any animal welfare legislation and even their zoos are several steps behind what would be seen as acceptable.
“The last time we filmed Pizza our footage showed she was showing signs of mental distress.
“She was struggling to cope with a stressful situation probably caused by the small size of the enclosure and the barren environment.
“Constantly exposed to visitors banging on the glass, there was nowhere for her to retreat.
“Her behaviours included pacing the enclosure over and over in the exact same patterns, head whipping and sitting by an air vent, presumably to try to sniff fresh air.
“They are all classic behaviours linked to stress.”
Many of those visitors, who pay £25 to visit the outlet’s “Polar Sea World”, hammer on the glass of Pizza’s prison which is continually illuminated by the glare of camera flashes
Pizza is regularly spotted pawing at an air vent in her 120sq ft home, hoping for a rare sniff of the outside world
Tragic Pizza has also been sighted exhibiting other worrying behaviours, such as thumping her huge paws against a metal door and throwing lumps of ice around her enclosure.
Humane Society International, along with several other welfare organisations, collected a million signatures on a petition to have the Grandview attraction closed.
Significantly, 50 animal welfare organisations in China co-signed a letter of complaint to the governor of Guangdong province.
But so far the Chinese government is yet to react to the international outcry.
Tragic Pizza has also been sighted exhibiting other worrying behaviours, such as thumping her huge paws against a metal door and throwing lumps of ice around her enclosure.
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Pizza being moved out of his tiny enclosure at the mall, but only temporarily. He's going to Ocean Park in Guangzhou where he was born and where his parents live while the enclosure at the mall renovated. The Polar Bear was showing signs of mental distress. The new enclosure at the mall will reportedly be twice as large
Animals Asia: Grandview Mall ZooPETA: Petition to close Granview Mall