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"Each and every one of us has the ability to look at an animal and see if that animal is in pain. And if an animal is in pain, surely if we are human – if we are caring, thinking people – surely it is our responsibility to try to do whatever we can to stop that suffering."

John Hicks, IAR Founder

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India: Dancing Bears

Bear forced to ‘dance&rsquo for tourists

There are approximately 8,000 sloth bears left in the wild in the Indian sub-continent.
Sloth bears are classified by the World Conservation Union as being vulnerable.
They live to over 20 years in the wild.
Their diet consists mainly of ants and termites.

It has been illegal to own or ‘dance’ a bear in India since 1972.
However, illegal trade continues with more than 100 cubs illegally captured from the wild each year and sold.
It is estimated that between 500 and 600 sloth bears are still forced to ‘dance’ by Kalandar nomads in India.
They rarely survive more than seven to eight years as dancing bears.
Threats to their survival include being poached from the wild for use as dancing bears or for their body parts for use in Traditional Chinese Medicines.

> Sloth Bears: Read Barbara Hadley’s study (PDF 132k)
> Agra: Learn more about our bear sanctuary in Agra
> Bannerghatta: Learn more about our bear sanctuary in Bannerghatta

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Latest News

May 2008
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May 2008
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May 2008
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Apr 2008
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