World's 'Saddest Polar Bear' Displays Signs of Mental Decline

Pizza, dubbed the world’s “saddest polar bear,” shows signs of worsening mental health, according to a video released by animal rights group Humane Society International (HSI) on Tuesday, October 25. The bear, living in a aquarium in Guangzhou, southern China, swayed its head and paced repetitively, which the organisation said are signs of frustration and mental decline.

The HSI and other animal rights groups have collected 500,000 petition signatures calling for the closure of the Grandview Mall’s animal exhibits. The action is echoed by 50 Chinese animal groups.

Pizza’s sad face made headlines and brought attention to the living conditions of the two polar-brown bear hybrids, six beluga whales and five walrus calves in Guangzhou aquarium. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, England, has offered a 10 acre home for Pizza on the condition that the Grandview Mall not replace the bear with “another polar bear or any similar-sized animal.” The HSI said the Chinese authorities have turned down the offer. Credit: Humane Society International