Yesterday, polar bear "Xiao Bai" and its new friend "Bei Bei" with one year old were at play after one month in Nanjing Underwater World. According to the introduction by staffs, during "May 1" golden week, tourists will see these two friends.

2007-4-27

challenger?

I was very upset and distressed by a recent visit to the Nanjing Aquarium's Polar World exhibition.

I hold a degree in Animal Welfare & Behaviour and I am extremely concerned about the animals in the Polar World exhibition.

There was no sign of the second polar bear anywhere. The one polar bear was rocking its head backwards and forwards non-stop (a clear sign of stress and anxiety in animal). The enclosure was tiny and the water the bear was to swim in was filthy.

Added to this was the Arctic foxes who are all missing large patches of their fur. Non of them were moving. They were lay on the floor of their enclosure breathing shallowly. There is thermometer in their enclosure. I actually took a photograph of it because it read 80 degrees!!! These are animals which in the wild live in sub zero temperatures.

The caribou were kept in an enclosure no larger than 5 metres x 5 metres and they were missing nearly all of their fur and were extremely skinny.

It seems that no thought has been given to the physical and mental well being of these animals. They seem to be there just for the entertainment of the tourists. It is also disressing to watch hundreds of tourists banging on the glass of the enclsosures and shouting.

It is sad that this aquarium is not dedicated to the conservation of these endangered species.

Here are some photos of the animals in Nanjing Underwater world. Please note...

- The thermometer reading 32 degrees in the Arctic fox enclosure.
- The Arctic fox with fur missing from its back.
- The caribou which is almost completely bald.
- The Polar bear enclosure (how small and dirty the enclosure is)
- The Emperor penguins (how small and dirty the enclosure is)

http://nanjingbbs.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2794