"Bear baiting in Pakistan is the world's most savage blood sport. A bear, with claws blunted and teeth removed, is tied to a post in the centre of a stadium and set upon by dogs. When the fight looks like it is about to become fatal, it is stopped.
But only to give the exhausted bear time to rest before facing the dogs again.
Sometimes he will endure as many as seven fights in one day. All of this takes place in the name of 'sport'
But bear baiting is no sport. It is animal cruelty. The bears suffer terrible injuries and receive inadequate treatment, resulting in ongoing pain and permanent scarring. Away from the ring their misery continues. Supposed to roam for 20km a day in the wild, they are kept in confinement and receive poor diet and care.
Bear baiting is illegal in Pakistan, but the fights continue. So does the campaign by the World Society for the Protection of Animals to put a stop to this cruelty. Since 2001 we have worked with our member society the Bio-resource Research Centre towards our goal of an end to bear baiting.
We began by building our Kund Park sanctuary to take in the bears confiscated from fights. So far we have rescued over 40 bears. We have been able to stop 80% of fights from taking place. We are educating the public through raising awareness in mosques and during infotainment events. And we have developed an alternative livelihood program to enable a sustainable end to the bear-owning tradition.
In 2010 we are at a critical stage - so near and yet still not quite in reach of our goal. Bricks for Bears is the next step in our campaign to bring an end to bear baiting in Pakistan."
You can help WSPCA reach this goal by purchasing virtual bricks for their online Sanctuary Wall. Each virtual brick costs just $10, or you can make a donation on behalf of your company and purchase a virtual plaque on the virtual wall. All money raised will go to the build and running cost of the Bears Sanctuary in Pakistan.
