On January 9, 2016, The Grandview Aquarium opened in Guangzhou, China, displaying 500 species of animals. However, it is more like a “prison” to the animals. Located in a shopping mall, this zoo has been named “one of the saddest zoos in the world”, and this title is well deserved.
Here, the animals do not get any natural light. They suffer from poor care, neglect, and lack of stimulation. No wonder PETA (People for the Ethical Traeatment of Animals), along with many Chinese locals and foreign travellers, want the release of these animals.
In fact, PETA recently wrote an article featuring this zoo, stating the reasons why they want it to close down.
Animals there have been said to suffer from “zoochosis”, as spectators have noticed. “Zoochosis” is when animals will perform odd behaviours such as rock, sway, or pace because they have nothing to do. Some animals will even hurt themselves by chewing on different parts of their body or pulling out their own feathers.
There are times where zoochosis gets so bad that some zoos have to use administer antidepressants and antipsychotics to try to stop this abnormal animal behaviour.
However, zoochosis is just one of the many problems at the Grandview Aquarium; walruses and belugas have been spotted swimming in circles in their extremely small tanks, and other animals including bears, Arctic wolves and foxes have been pacing back and forth and scratching the walls. But why should we blame them? It’s us humans that are putting these animals in such small places that are too small compared to their natural environment – and its all for our entertainment.
Also, zoochosis is just one of the many things that shows us how gross and devastating some humans have become. We trap animals in such small places and do terrible things to them to a certain point where they end up in a bizarre state and hurt themselves.
At this point, even though many Chinese citizens have noticed the terrible behaviours of these animals, it is up to us to raise awareness and help close down the Grandview Aquarium and many other places alike.
You can sign the petition at Care2 Petitions.
© Featured Image Animals Asia
#peta #animalsuffering
