Chinese 'Polar Bear Hotel' Opens To Outrage

6 Minute Read

• A hotel that bills itself as the world's first "polar bear hotel" has opened in China's far northeastern Heilongjiang province, drawing both guests and criticism for its central feature: live polar bears.

• The Polar Bear Hotel, part of the Harbin Polarland theme park in Heilongjiang's capital, opened its doors on Friday with the promise of round-the-clock polar bear viewing from all 21 guest rooms.

A Chinese hotel built around a central polar bear enclosure for the non-stop viewing pleasure of its guests has opened to immediate condemnation from conservationists. At Harbin Polar Land in north-east China, the hotel bedrooms’ windows face onto the bears’ pen, with visitors told the animals are their “neighbours 24 hours a day”.

Harbin Polarland, established in late 2005, calls itself the world's first polar performing arts amusement park. A video shows the bears – a threatened species – being photographed by crowds of guests under harsh warm lights, in a space consisting of fake rocks and icicles and a white painted floor.

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Animal rights organisations reacted with outrage, urging customers to stay away from establishments profiting “from animals’ misery”. "Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums – and certainly not in hotels," Jason Baker, senior vice president at animal rights group PETA told Reuters on Saturday. "Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature, roaming home ranges that can span thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life."

Harbin is famous for its ice-carving festival, and the hotel resembles a giant igloo, its roof topped with artificial ice. But some Chinese social media users expressed unease at the theme being taken to this extreme.

“A panoramic prison for polar bears … Haven’t we learned anything about animal cruelty?” one commentator said. “Gaps in China’s wildlife protection law allows businesses to exploit animals without any concern for their welfare,” said a spokesman for China Animal Protection Network.

Chinese authorities recently changed the law to ban the consumption of wildlife for food. But the use of parts of endangered species in traditional medicine remains rampant, and Chinese circuses and zoos are often criticised for poor standards of animal housing and care.

Yang Liu, a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland, told Reuters that the indoor area is only part of the bears' total enclosure, and that they are let outdoors when temperature and air quality.

She said interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms range from 1,888 to 2,288 yuan ($290.10 to $351.56) per night was "very high", adding that it is fully booked through a trial period.

Sources: Daily Mail, Reuters.

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