The Dancing Bears Park

**Sally** · 05-15-2010, 07:27 AM

The Dancing Bears Park is a bear sanctuary located south of Sofia, near the Bansko Ski Resort.

From an article in the 2008 online edition of the Telegraph:

Misho got up and danced for us the minute we peered through the electrified fence. We watched him swaying backwards and forwards, padding the bare ground with his paws, as he'd done a thousand times before. As long as we looked he performed. It was a mindless and pathetic soft-shoe shuffle, learnt through torture. Only as we dragged ourselves away, tears in our eyes, did this gigantic creature stop the world's saddest dance.

It will take Misho, the latest arrival at Dancing Bears Park, Bulgaria's brown bear sanctuary, months to throw off a lifetime's cruel conditioning. Even then, he'll never be quite normal, explained Petar, our guide...

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ac...sanctuary.html

http://www.vierpfoten.org/website/ou...129&language=1

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**Tabiti** · 05-15-2010, 07:30 AM

These bears belonged to gypsies. Some of the gypsy castes here trained bears and monkeys to dance for more then hundred years. Recently, they've banned that and sent all animals into this special zoo.

We never did such things, neither approved. Sad many people think it is our tradition.

BTW, some of the gypsies weren't so cruel with their animals since they were a source for profit.

**Sally** · 05-15-2010, 07:40 AM

I thought it was wonderful that bears from different parts of Europe were being rehabilitated here. This Bulgarian sanctuary was influential in having bear dancing declared illegal in the European Union.