Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
An estimated 600 sloth bears are used as dancing bears in India.
The dancing bear tradition dates back to the 16th century in India, when bears were forced to dance for the entertainment of the ruling classes. In recent times, they have been used to beg money from tourists who, sadly, appear to relish the novelty and thus perpetuate this cruel practice.
More than 100 cubs per year are taken from the wild. If a female bear produces, on average, two cubs, this indicates that up to 50 female bears could be shot during that period, seriously affecting the number of bears in the wild. The majority of cubs taken from the wild do not reach the villages of the Kalandars, the nomadic people who train the bears. The cubs, purchased for about 8,000 rupees each from markets, often die on the journey to the villages, from trauma, dehydration or starvation. The Kalandars, originally Muslim gypsies, often now have alternative occupations, but it is still a matter of pride to teach a bear to dance, the trainer gaining great respect from his peers. The Kalndars are still nomadic; those in the south moving every few days from place to place, while those in the north move from one family settlement to another.
The training of the bear takes from 6 months to 2 years. The cubs are between 4-6 months old when they begin training, provided of course that they have survived earlier trauma. Any cubs which reach the villages after the ordeal of the journey from the market are tied to posts in sight of each other, but unable to touch, so that they are unable to derive comfort from their own kind. It is impossible to appreciate the trauma experienced by the cubs, which have often seen their mothers shot in front of them. The cubs, often tiny, and totally dependent on their mothers, are roughly handled by the poachers and endure severe shock compounded by fear. Should the mother bear survive, it is certain that she, too, suffers deeply the deprivation of her cubs.
Between 60% - 70% of the cubs die before they can be trained, so further cubs are then taken from the wild. Any cubs which do survive suffer a punishing regime of beating and starvation to make them submissive to their trainers. As cubs spend at least two years with their mothers, it is not difficult to imagine their fear as they are subjected to an existence which is not only ridden with pain but also totally unnatural.
The cub’s muzzle is pierced with a red-hot poker, without the use of anaesthetic, the poker forced through the bone, cartilage and nerve membrane in the top of the muzzle, creating a terrible wound. A rope is then pulled through the wound, usually causing an infection. In many cases a second piercing is necessary, usually before the first wound has healed. The pain must be excruciating and is exacerbated as the trainer pulls on the rope forcing the cub to stand upright. The bear is then hit on each hind paw with a stick. To avoid the pain, the bear lifts each foot in turn. Eventually, the trainer has only to strike the ground for the bear to lift its feet. It is now a “dancing” bear. A tap on the muzzle causes the bear to fold its paws over its nose in a gesture of “greeting” to amuse the audience.
The bear is taught to fear its owner, a simple matter when the animal is small. As the bear gets bigger and stronger, the owner, needing to exert full control, reinforces the fear by hitting the animal across the face with sticks and ropes. If the bear shows any sign of rebellion, the rope through the muzzle is forcibly pulled to make the bear stand and, in many cases, the muzzle is re-pierced to exert control through further pain. Amazingly, in spite of the appalling treatment they receive, the bears seem to develop a good relationship with their owners, though this may be the result of submission and the need to accept their fate in order to minimise the pain and suffering. This can happen with other animals when the spirit is broken. Such treatment is totally unacceptable and offensive.
Before the cub is a year old, its teeth are knocked out with a hammer and its claws are pulled out with pliers. Neither operation is carried out using any kind of anaesthetic. The bear is not allowed to eat its normal diet. Some are fed on chapattis, lentils and sour milk, or given steamed raji balls, wheat rotis and bread. Some Kalandars claim to feed their bears on cereals, fruit and honey, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Such an inadequate and unnatural diet leads to severe intestinal problems for the bears, the condition often painful and, in some cases, terminal.
At least 20% of the cubs die from stress. A further 20% prove to be untrainable as dancing bears. What happens to them is unclear, but it is possible that they are sold on to circuses or menageries, where they continue to lead a miserable existence.
Once trained, the bears travel on the roads with their owners for eight or nine months of the year, often over long distances and mostly on foot, although some Kalandars may occasionally hitch a lift on a lorry. On average, the bears work for about 6 hours a day, but up to 10 hours for special occasions such as weddings, festivals and fairs. On the road, while waiting for clients, the trainer may allow his bear to have enough leeway on the rope to forage by the roadside for ants or other insects, but the animal is kept on a short rope in towns because of the crowds of people.
Life on the road is hard for both bear and owner, no form of medical help is available for either while they are travelling. The bears may suffer, and die, from stress, training methods, gastro-intestinal disorders, respiratory diseases and worm infestations. When medical help is needed, the Kalandars rarely consult a vet, preferring instead to ask village elders for advice.
Twenty per cent of the cubs die because of the shock of separation from their mothers, between 20% - 40% die during transportation, and 10% die during early handling. It is also estimated that 40% of the cubs die during their first year. There is no consolation in such a high mortality rate, yet at least those cubs are spared further suffering.
The above figures indicate a dreadful waste of life and show the contribution that the trade in dancing bears makes to the decimation of bear populations. These figures do not take into account the number of mother bears killed nor the future potential loss of cubs. The fact that so many cubs die only encourages poachers to perpetuate their appalling trade in order to satisfy the demand for dancing bears. Bear cubs may be found tied up at markets and fairs, waiting to be taken on a journey to hell. The trade will continue until the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) is fully enforced, but there are signs of hope. At least for some of the bears, with the building of the first sanctuary for dancing bears at Sur Sarovar, Agra.
