These rescued bears had a really tough life. There were only cubs when they were taken from their mother and they were trained, forced to stand on burning hot metal until they lifted up, to make them look like they’re dancing. The bears got holes pierced in their noses and chains threaded through the holes so that their owners could control them during their performance. The poor little bears forget all their natural instinct. They were malnourished and they even forgot to hibernate in winter.
During the 1990s, the sad story of the dancing bears gained international attention. Four Paws International and The Brigitte Bardot Foundation managed to rescue all the dancing bears in Bulgaria and take them to a sanctuary. A few years later, the practice of training bears became illegal.
From the moment they got to the sanctuary, the bears have been learning how to adapt to the nature and learn to be bears again. In 2017, they even successfully hibernated which made the people from the sanctuary extremely happy.
The bears now enjoy fully nutritious foods and fruits. They even learned how to share their food. They love to share their fruits with their friend – a wild fox that became a regular visitor.
The wild fox first appeared last winter. It looked like the fox enjoyed being around the bears and they looked like they didn’t mind so the fox helped himself with a slice of apple.
This summer the fox appeared again to treat himself with some apples. They seem to enjoy their company!
