Bear baiting still occurs in some parts of Pakistan, where huge sums of money are exchanged in bets in fighting contests between dogs and a tethered bear. The practice is illegal but enforcement is difficult. Bear dancing has been eradicated from most of the world. The last dancing bears in India were rescued at the end of 2009. These bears will now need looking after for the rest of their lives.
Bear baiting shows and dancing bears were once common throughout the world. Bear baiting is now believed to exist only in Pakistan. The practice is outlawed but there are still reports of events in the Punjab and Sindh. These events take the forms of festivals, with large bets placed on contests where dogs are set on a tethered bear. Anything from one to ten bears can be involved at any one of these events, the larger including as many as 40 dogs and thousands of spectators. Generally the teeth and claws of the bears are removed, leaving sensitive areas exposed and causing the bear great distress and pain. A typical fight will last around three minutes, the dogs considered winners if they can pull the bear to the ground. Both dogs and bears sustain injuries, but the bears suffer the most, as their noses and mouths are ripped out by the dogs. The fights are usually stopped before an actual kill, as the animals are too valuable. Today it is estimated that around 50 bears are regularly used in this way.
Bear dancing was once a long established tradition in much of Europe. The bears were usually taken as cubs from the wild, after poachers killed their mother. The cubs who survived the ordeal would then be forced on hot iron plate, placed over burning coal, and taught to 'dance' associating the pain with music. Thanks to the efforts of, in most cases, outstanding individuals and organisations, the practice is now outlawed in most European countries and has pretty much disappeared. The last Bulgarian dancing bears were rescued and placed in a sanctuary in 2007, followed in 2009 by the last Serbian dancing bears.
In India, the bears were also taken by poachers from the wild but trained by pulling on a rope anchored to their sensitive noses. A hot poker was run through their snout, needless to say this was done without any form of anaesthesia, to create a hole for the rope. Their teeth and claws were usually removed leaving exposed nerve endings. Many bears eventually went blind as the optic nerve got damaged by the rope close by, or because of poor nutrition, bear owners having little income with which to feed the bears properly. Thankfully, the last Indian dancing bears were rescued at the end of 2009 and are now in sanctuaries where they will need to be looked after for the rest of their natural lives under the care of Wildlife SOS India.
Practice responsible tourism if you encounter any of these practices in your travels. Do not pay or take photographs and write to your travel agency to voice your concern.