True, isn’t it? We all tend to break into some kind of a spontaneous dance when we are very happy.
But if you are a bear who was unlucky to have been caught by a gypsy, you dance not out of happiness, but just to avoid pain.

Dancing bears have been a familiar sight in our streets for centuries. As the amused bystanders watch, the big black bear, stands on its two feet and ‘dances’ to the music of the handler. You would be surprised to know that this street entertainment is in practice, in Bulgaria and Romania as well. That is because capturing and training the bears to dance is a custom with the gypsy tribe and as in India, Pakistan, in Romania too there is an old gypsy settlement. Dancing bear performances were officially banned in India in 1972.

Recently, Bulgaria too has brought in a law banning ‘bear dance’. Fortunately here, the new laws dictate that dancing bears in Bulgaria will not just stop ‘dancing’. They will be retired to enjoy in a safe home at the Vier Pfoten Dancing Bear Park.

The park, founded in 2000 is an international project of “Four Paws” Foundation, which is a non- profit organization, financed by charity.

The Dancing Bears Park is situated in a mountainous region, at 1200 meters above sea level, south of the capital, Sofia. The region, spread with natural forests, valleys and water areas, is also the home of the wild brown bear.

In the park, the retired bears have their own territory with plenty of space for climbing. Their food is purposely hidden at different places in the park, so that the bears find it themselves. Specially trained people and veterinary surgeons take care of the animals. It is hoped that after staying for some years here the bears will return to their normal behaviour. 25 dancing bears are officially registered here as inmates. This place is now a popular tourist spot.

Truly a luxury resort for the bears. But then, no amount of pampering can compensate for the years of cruelty the animals have suffered.

Young bear cubs are stolen by poachers while their mother is away from the den or by killing her when she returns. Many cubs die from neglect or dehydration before they are sold for training.

All dancing bears have a hole pierced through their lips, nose or palate and a rope forced through it. No anesthetic is used for this highly painful operation and, to make matters worse, teeth are often removed or broken to prevent injury to the handlers. Repeated rubbing against the rope prevents these fresh wounds healing, and the bears find no relief from painful infections.

The trainer sings and pulls the rope. The tug of the rope against the wound is so painful that the intelligent animal learns to ‘dance‘, in an attempt to avoid the pull. The Romanian gypsies do something worse. They force the animal to stand on burning metal plates while the gypsies sing. Soon the bear associates the singing with the torture and starts to jump even when there is no heat. The trauma of this unnatural life drives many bears mad. Many display the repetitive, pacing movements, characteristic of mental damage.

There is one such bear in the Bulgarian park that sits sadly and rocks back and forth, all the time. After seeing this bear, visitors vow that they would never again watch an entertainment involving animals.