There’s Nothing Entertaining About the Way This Hotel Keeps Polar Bears Captive

Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums—and certainly not in hotels. However, a new hotel in China called the Polar Bear Hotel at Harbin Polar Land has imprisoned two polar bears in a small enclosure to “entertain” its guests.

These bears are surrounded by harsh lights, painted rocks, and icicles in their miserable, artificial environment—and since the hotel’s guests watch the animals from every room for 24 hours a day, they’re given no peace and denied everything that’s natural and important to them.

The stress and frustration of captivity often trigger stereotypical types of behavior such as self-mutilation and head-bobbing, and growing evidence indicates that these solitary animals become upset when humans gawk at them.

Polar Bears Don’t Belong in Captivity

In nature, polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day, roaming home ranges that can span thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life. PETA has offered to pay for the transfer of these bears from the hotel in China to a facility that closely mimics their natural environment, where they’ll never again be used for human entertainment.

What You Can Do

Remember that this hotel is no different to other kinds of zoos, aquariums, and marine parks across Asia and other parts of the world where animals are denied everything that is natural and important to them and have every aspect of their lives controlled and managed for the sake of human “entertainment.”

Please stay away from the Polar Bear Hotel and any other establishment that profits from animals’ misery—and tell your family and friends why they should, too.