Ending bear baiting

Brutal ‘entertainment’

In rural Pakistan, large crowds gather to watch bears battle groups of trained dogs. The bears are captured and forced to endure immense pain even before they fight, with their canine teeth broken, muzzles painfully pierced with nose rings and claws often removed. The bears suffer terrible injuries, rarely living past the age of eight. When one bear dies, the cycle starts again, with more young wild bears forced into captivity and torment.

Bear baiting with dogs is illegal and causes intense, unjustified suffering – and you can help us put a stop to it.

A female used in bear baiting, rescued by partner group BRC in September 2012 after her owner gave her up as part of the alternative livelihood programme. Dora, pictured before the handover, has severe facial injuries, including a pierced tongue. Image credit: BRC

Bear baiting: our work

Since 1997, we’ve been working with the Pakistan Bioresource Research Centre (BRC) to end bear baiting. As a result, together we've decreased the number of bear baiting events dramatically. Bears are now able to live better lives, and so are their owners. Our work includes:

• Preventing bear baiting events, by working with wildlife officials and local partners to share information
• Strengthening legislation and making sure laws banning bear baiting are enforced
• Seeking new legislation that will make it illegal to own a bear, or will at least ban the use of bears for baiting, dancing and begging
• Reducing demand for bear baiting, by working with teachers, religious leaders and influential landlords to promote animal protection and raise awareness that bear baiting contravenes Islamic teachings
• Offering alternative livelihoods for bear owners, so that they leave bear baiting behind for good
• Providing sanctuary for bears who are surrendered or rescued from bear baiting – though our ultimate goal is for bears to remain in the wild
• Exposing cruelty, by monitoring, uncovering and tacking the exploitation of bears, including bear dancing and begging, which may be increasing as bear baiting declines.

With your support, we can stop bears being subjected to a lifetime of pain and distress in Pakistan

• 40 bears involved in bear baiting in 2014
• 300 bears involved in bear baiting in 2000
• 11,000 mosques visited to spread the word about our work
• 350 landlords moved to support our work
• 27 bears living peacefully at the Balkasar sanctuary

Find out about our work to end the cruel bear bile industry