Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SICKENING Bears tormented for amusement of restaurant-goers
A FAMILY enjoys a cosy lunch at a riverside restaurant as hungry caged bears look on in desperation.
Peering out from behind iron bars, the creatures are held captive for the delight of diners in Armenia.
The sickening practice sees the tortured animals kept in cages in horrendous conditions throughout the year.
The bears are put on show at restaurants, bus depots, shops and factories across the country. Others are kept hidden from view in dark cellars.
Many of the creatures are mentally and physically damaged by the terrible conditions and frustration of their miserable existence behind bars.
Now, British charity International Animal Rescue is set to launch a mission aimed at freeing up to 80 bears from a life of torture. In partnership with the local Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, The Great Bear Rescue project’s ultimate goal is to save all of the captive bears in Armenia and give them a better life.
The charity is also building a new sanctuary for the rescued bears, at a cost of £75,000. Any animals that are not viable for release into the wild will be given a permanent home at a sanctuary.
Many bears are being kept captive in miserable conditions across Armenia, including in the capital city of Yerevan.
The former Soviet country has had a long history of hunting and keeping bears. Every year, more than 150 wild bears are illegally caught or trapped by poachers. Once captured, many of them end up in small, squalid cages in restaurants and other entertainment venues as tourist attractions. In some rural restaurants in Armenia, bear meat is available to those who request it.
But the Sussex-based charity IAR is determined to change that, with the support of the Armenian government.
IAR chief executive, Alan Knight, said: “I have seen the conditions these bears are living in for myself and they are nothing short of appalling.
“Some have been living for years in small, barren cages, surviving only on scraps and filthy, stagnant water. Many of them relieve their boredom and frustration by pacing endlessly to and fro, banging their heads against the walls or climbing up the bars, searching frantically for an escape route.
“They have been robbed of their dignity and their freedom, all for people’s idle entertainment. It sickens me.”
Some have been incarcerated for years in cramped cages with scarcely any food or water. IAR patron, Line of Duty actor Neil Morrissey, said: “Now that the plight of these poor bears has come to light, I know IAR won’t turn its back on them.
“I’m with them all the way on this rescue mission. After years of misery and neglect, an end to the bears’ suffering can’t come soon enough.”
To support the campaign, go to www. greatbearrescue.org.