Animal Asia’s petition to shut down the aquarium has gathered almost 260,000 signatures as of September 19.
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Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to four polar bears which live in specially-created habitat.
A United Kingdom wildlife park has offered a “neurotic” polar bear a new home after he made headlines looking miserable in a shopping mall while Chinese visitors posed for selfies.
Grandview deputy manager Li Chengtang told state media it was “hard to judge the appropriateness of the living space since China doesn’t have regulations about such things”.
The aquarium is said to home to a number of animals, including walrus calves, arctic foxes and young beluga whales.
While its owners insisted they have since made improvements, the Animals Asia charity said conditions were still cramped, with “nothing natural”.
The cost of transferring the large, living carnivore almost 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) from Guangzhou to Doncaster, England “will be raised if the offer is accepted”, Animals Asia said.
A concrete floor, swimming pool and glass are all Pizza the bear may have known for his entire life. What’s more information on how best to try to meet the complex physical and behavioural needs of captive polar bears is freely available and yet this animal has been willfully incarcerated in this way.
If Pizza were to be relocated, he would have access to 10 acres and two lakes – the largest lake is more than eight metres deep, allowing him to dive as he would in the wild.
“The good news now for Grandview is that they now have the chance to put their mistake right”, Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale said in a statement.
Animals Asia say the offer does not include payment, and is based on the understanding that Pizza is not replaced – and quite right too.
The cost of transferring the bear will be raised if the offer is accepted. The charity Asia Animals is quoted as saying it would be “delighted” to see Pizza moved to the United Kingdom park.
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“There can be a happy ending – Pizza would not only enjoy incredible facilities, he would also be part of a community of bears”.
