A mall in China has come under fire from animal rights activists over an exhibit that holds a distressed polar bear among other animals for visitors to click selfies with.

A video captured by animal rights organization Animals Asia documented a sad sight inside the Grandview Aquarium at a shopping centre in Guangzhou.

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The aquarium holds animals including polar bears wolves, walrus calves and beluga whales in dimly lit enclosures as patrons crowd the enclosures for photographs and sometimes even bang on the glass display in order to get the animal's attention, according to the Huffington Post.

However, the polar bear has drawn special attention after videos and photos of the marine mammal looking miserable in its exhibit surfaced online and quickly went viral.

The bear, dubbed as the "world's saddest polar bear," can be seen visibly glum lying on the floor of the bright blue enclosure, sparking protests from animal rights activists angered by the fact that these animals are taken away from their natural habitat, which can have a detrimental effect on the animal's health and well-being.

Animals Asia has started a petition calling for the closure of the aquarium and has already been signed by 270,000 people since it went live in March.

"Taking animals from their natural environments can never be defended, but when they're rehomed in conditions like we're seeing at the Grandview Aquarium, it's the worst possible situation," said the group. "We all need to continue to publicly object to such facilities."

Watch the heartbreaking footage of the "world's saddest polar bear" below:

Tagspolar bear, china, Grandview Aquarium, World's Saddest Polar Bear, Animals Asia, Polar bear Chinese mall