Bear Svetla's Incredible Transformation from "Dancing Bear" to a More Natural Life | FOUR PAWS USA
Meet #Bear Svetla!
Taken from zoos as cubs, Svetla and bears Mima and Misho were trained to "dance" by being forced to stand on hot metal plates while music played. This painful conditioning meant that whenever the bears heard music,, they remembered the pain and started to dance.
In 1993, attempts were made by law to end this cruelty in Bulgaria, but as no sanctuaries were available and law was not strictly enforced, Roma families were allowed to continue keeping the bears under license. This, unfortunately, prolonged the suffering of these poor bears. It wasn't until 1998 that the training and dancing of bears was officially outlawed in the country.
In 2007, the cruel tradition of dancing bears in Bulgaria finally ended, when we were able to rescue the last three remaining bears, Svetla, Mima and Misho, from the village of Getsovo and bring them to our BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa (@BearSanctuaryBelitsa), for a new start in a species-appropriate life!
Since the rescue, Svetla has been adapting incredibly well at her forever home. At 34 years old, she is currently the oldest bear at the sanctuary and hibernated for 161 days this year! At the moment, she is sharing her enclosure with bear Jeta and loves relaxing near the pond in their enclosure. Her favorite foods are honey and apricots and the dedicated caretakers at the sanctuary make sure to include those into her enrichments!
Today, Bulgarian law ensures that no bear will ever face this cruelty again.
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