Animal rights advocates in Guangzhou, China, have petitioned the city’s governor to shut down an aquarium at the Grandview Shopping Mall, citing the poor condition of the animals on display including a polar bear named Pizza.

A campaign is underway in Guangzhou, China, to try and convince officials to relocate numerous exotic animals--including a polar bear nicknamed 'world's saddest' --from a local retail center.

According to a press release issued by Humane Society International, 50 animal rights organizations in China have written an open letter to the city’s governor, asking for the closure of an aquarium located in the Grandview Shopping Mall. 

About 500 species are believed to be on display there including beluga whales and arctic foxes. 

One of the better-known residents is the polar bear named Pizza who, the release states, can be seen in a video, “exhibiting worrying stereotypical behaviours such as head swaying and repetitive pacing, evidence of frustration and mental decline.” 

The problem, according to the release, is that “animals are kept in small, barren glass-fronted enclosures without natural light or air, lacking any stimulation and unable to engage in natural behaviours.”

The petitioners are asking that the animals be relocated immediately and that businesses “help stop China’s growing trend of displaying captive wild animals at shopping malls as a way to entice customers back from online shopping.”