Training methods Because dancing bears need to stand on hind legs to perform tricks, various methods have been employed to execute this behavior. One method involves trainers constantly feeding the bear from above, which acclimates the bear to standing on its hind legs, usually in response to a trained signal from the bear handler. These handlers file down the bear's teeth and push a hot iron rod through the top of the bear's muzzle to create a permanent hole in the bear's nose and mouth. The handler then threads the hole with a knotted rope, so the bear can be pulled upright, inflicting pain on the bear as its motivation to stand.
History In
ancient Rome, bears and monkeys were led to dance and perform tricks for the public. Following the fall of the
Western Roman Empire, dancing bears continued to be commonplace throughout Europe and Asia. In Russia and
Siberia, cubs were for centuries captured for being used as dancing bears accompanying tavern musicians (
skomorokhi), as depicted in the
Travels of
Adam Olearius. By the
fifteenth century, the practice began to dwindle in
Western Europe and was officially banned in the UK in 1911. Dancing bears continued to appear frequently in Eastern Europe and Asia until the late 20th century. In the same year, in Bulgaria, the last dancing bears were rescued and brought to
Bear Sanctuary Belitsa by the animal welfare organisation
Four Paws, despite the practice having been illegal since 1998. In 2009, Four Paws rescued the last dancing bears of Serbia. Dancing bears were banned in India under the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act - but the practice continued illegally, primarily in
Qalandar communities, who have performed with dancing bears since the late
Vedic era. In 2009, the animal rescue organisation
Wildlife SOS reported that the last dancing bear had been saved. However, there have been subsequent reports of the practice resurfacing in at least 7 states across India. In 2017, the last known dancing bears of Nepal were rescued.
French bear handlers Traveling with a bear was very popular in France at the end of the 19th century, between 1870 and 1914. More than 600 men from
Ariège in the French Pyrenees trained bear cubs found in the mountains near their home. Among them, 200 traveled to North America arriving at the ports of New York, Quebec, Montreal and Halifax from the ports of Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast. They would leave their home early in spring, walking from the Pyrenees through France and England, earning money for the crossing in order to arrive in North America in May or June.
Gallery File:Dancing bear by Olearius (1883323).jpg|Engraving with dancing bear from
Adam Olearius's
Travels, 1656 File:Bohemian Bear Tamer 01.jpg|
Bohemian Bear Tamer, 1888 cast by
Paul Wayland Bartlett File:Josephine the Bear at MBL Club.png|Josephine the Bear in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, File:Pushkar-bear and handler.jpg|A dancing bear in
Pushkar, India, 2003 File:Dancing bear in Beaulieu-sous-la-Roche, France 2007.jpg|Dancing bear in France, 2007 ==See also==