Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Location: Dancing bears: Sunny Beach: Bulgaria / Fatehpur Sikri, Ajmer, Agra: India
Zone: Eastern Europe; South East Asia

Update: November 2007
No reports from members of the public have been received by Born Free since June 2007, when the last dancing bear in Bulgaria was rescued by animal welfare organisation, Vier Pfoten.

Dancing bears are however still seen in India and where there suffering causes much distress for tourists on holiday. Please help us phase out this barbaric use of wild animals. For more information click here

August 2007:
A crack down by the Bulgarian Government and NGOs has meant the last registered dancing bear has now been confiscated and rehomed to a bear sanctuary in Bulgaria.  However, until it can be confirmed that no more bears are used in this illegal activity, would tour operators remain vigilant and inform Born Free of any future sightings of dancing bears.  

Background
Passed down from generation to generation, this tradition is practiced in Bulgaria, Russia and India. However, in Bulgaria and India, although the ‘dancing’ of bears is now outlawed, lack of law enforcement, means this cruel practice persists, exacerbated by tourism. 

Young bears are removed from their mothers at an early age, their claws and teeth often removed and metal rings forced through their nose or snout. In Bulgaria the bears are subjected to an even harsher training regime - placing the animal on a hot plate where it is made to ‘dance’ to sounds of traditional music, until the bear learns to associate the unbearable pain with the music and ‘dance’. The training of dancing bears became illegal in Bulgaria in 1998 but 3 registered dancing bears still perform at the popular Sunny Beach resort.

In India, this tradition was outlawed in 1972. However, mainly due to a lack of law enforcement and limited sanctuary space, there were still an estimated 600 ‘dancing’ bears on the streets of India in 2006.

The Born Free Foundation is working with colleagues in Bulgaria and India to stop bear ‘dancing’. Support from the tourist industry would be welcomed to persuade governments to do more to stop this cruel practice. For more information on dancing bears, please download the Born Free factsheet.