Dancing Bears in India

Kartick Satyanran's passion is to save the wild animals of India from illegal captivity and poaching that has taken place century after century. He is heavily involved with rescuing hundreds of “dancing” bears. Kartick Satyanarayan describes how the Kalandar community of India is economically dependent on capturing sloth bear cubs and training them to "dance," by torturing them. It is a centuries-old practice and a primary means of financial income for these poor people in the Kalandar community. Once the bear cubs were captured from across the country, they were being sold for about two thousand dollars each! In addition to training the bears to "dance," they were also used to make bear-paw soup. It is important to note that the capturing and selling of these animals is an illegal act, punishable with jail time. The bears are treated cruelly - they are separated from their siblings, the mother bear is typically killed, their teeth are bashed out with metal rods, and a red hot iron needle is used to burn a hole through their muzzle. Satyanarayan tells us how a young Kalandar couple (barely eighteen years old) and their four kids depend on this one bear for their livelihood and economic income. Therefore, solving this problem in India was a huge task to take on. In 2002, there were approximately 12,000 bears and 550 were saved! The people of this community are getting educations and using other means to receive a sufficient income therefore, rising above the apalling acts of centuries before them.