Two more bears rescued from the cruel sport of bear baiting
News
After spending their entire lives as victims of the cruel sport of bear baiting, two female Asiatic bears – Josee and Galax – were surrendered to our partners at the Bioresource Research Center (BRC) earlier this summer.
As with all new arrivals to the World Animal Protection-funded Balkasar bear sanctuary, the bears were placed in quarantine before being released into the main sanctuary enclosure. This allows the bears to get accustomed to their new surroundings.
The bears were handed over by their former owners in the Punjab province in Pakistan in exchange of alternative cruelty-free livelihoods. Each of the two former bear owners were given support to set-up general stores in their local neighborhoods, and as sign of their commitment, the owners also signed an agreement that they will never purchase another bear.
This is essential to ensure that owners do not simply replace surrendered bears with new bears from the wild, which is a vital part of securing a permanent end to the tradition of bear baiting in Pakistan.
Galax, an eleven-year-old Asiatic black bear, was used in baiting for more than two years. She is healthy and waiting to enter the main enclosure.
Josee sadly died shortly after arriving at the sanctuary from complications resulting from years of baiting.
That is why your support is critical. Around 40 bears remain imprisoned to be used for this inhumane form of “entertainment”. Let’s protect these bears from unnecessary cruelty before it’s too late.
*Please note: we were the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), we are now World Animal Protection.
