The Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is located in Hengqin
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, the largest of China’s 39 ocean theme parks and situated just across the border from Macau, attracted 80,000 visitors in a single day last year, according to a report published by the Washington Post. However, the U.S. newspaper pointed out that China’s ocean parks have drawn criticism from animal protection groups.
The Post paints a dim portrait of the conditions found in the neighboring region’s water park: “Beluga whales nod in time to loud music, ‘kiss’ children or spit plumes of water toward the gasping crowd. A walrus blows a trumpet, seals catch Frisbees and dolphins propel their trainers through the water on their beaks. Polar bears pace back and forth in their enclosure, heads lolling as they turn, their distress apparent. Chinese tourists crowd around display windows to snap quick close-ups on their phones,” the report reads.
“Whale sharks swim in a giant aquarium beside the park’s fanciest restaurant, while outside, roller-coaster rides, carousels and parades of ocean-themed floats follow the formula popularized by SeaWorld in Florida, rendered with a dash of Disney and a Chinese twist,” it continues.
The largest of China’s 39 ocean theme parks has 18 belugas and 41 bottlenose dolphins, according to a new report by the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA), a coalition of international animal protection groups. According to the report many animals in captivity are often kept in conditions that are “inadequate to meet the complex physical and behavioral needs of cetaceans”.
However, the article is not wholly critical of the park, which is allegedly “the only ocean theme park in China that provides public information about financial support for the conservation of cetaceans in their natural habitat.”
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is one of the world’s largest aquariums. It opened in Hengqin in 2014 as part of a huge tourism complex that includes three hotels. PB
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