Killer whales are being bred for tourists in China

A new breeding centre for killer whales has opened in China to feed the nation’s growing appetite for zoos.

While countries around the world are making moves to ban orca captivity – thanks in part to the harrowing documentary, Blackfish – China appears to be moving in the opposite direction.

According to state media reports, one of the country’s largest amusement park operators, Chimelong Group, has just opened a killer whale breeding centre, the first of its kind in China.

The facility forms part of the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom park in Zhuhai, southeast China, where, according to the company’s website, nine whales are currently being held in captivity.

On its website, the company claims the facility will “enhance public awareness of the conservation of killer whale species” and “help develop the relevant scientific research of killer whales”. It is not known whether the whales will be used in performances.

Nevertheless, conservationists claim the facility is a step back for wild animals and has urged tourists to steer clear of such attractions.

“The reality is that these whales will endure a lifetime of misery in confinement, rather than the freedom of the ocean where they belong,” said Julie Middelkoop, head of the Wildlife – Not Entertainers campaign at World Animal Protection.

“We should not be under any illusion that this venue is about exploiting wild animals to entertain tourists and make a profit. This type of business venture needs to stop.”

World Animal Protection told Telegraph Travel that it is working with tour operators around the world to discourage tourists from visiting attractions that offer orca or dolphin shows.

“We will remain relentless to educate tourists about the cruelty animals suffer behind the scenes of these shows,” said Middelkoop.

China has a burgeoning appetite for captive animals, which are increasingly being used by shopping malls and restaurants, as well as zoos and theme parks, to boost visitor numbers.

Last year, heartbreaking images of a polar bear, which was being held in dismal conditions at The Grandview mall in Guangzhou, caused a backlash around the world after they surfaced online.

The three-year-old male, dubbed “the saddest polar bear in the world”, was temporarily removed from the mall in November so the owners could upgrade the facility. Almost as depressing as the enclosure he calls home is the bear’s name: Pizza, they called him Pizza.

China also came under criticism last year for breeding a beluga whale, despite the fact many calves bred in captivity will suffer health problems and struggle to reach adulthood.

Beluga whales are listed as near threatened, but according to the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA) that hasn’t stopped China importing the whales from Russia, where the population is thought to be falling.