Attractions to Avoid

"Dancing" Bears

In Asia, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere, bears and other animals are taken from the wild and forced to dance or perform tricks. In India, captive bears "dance" on their hind legs for up to 12 hours a day to entertain tourists. They are captured from the wild as cubs, even though this has been illegal since 1972. The tops of their muzzles are pierced with hot needles to create a hole for a rope to be passed through. Many cubs die before the training begins because of the stress of capture, the terrible transportation conditions, starvation, dehydration, and rough handling. They are trained to stand on their hind legs and "dance" through starvation and beatings. Their teeth may be yanked out and sold as charms to tourists. These bears rarely live more than eight years, even though they have a 30-year lifespan in the wild.