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"Each and every one of us has the ability to look at an animal and see if that animal is in pain. And if an animal is in pain, surely if we are human – if we are caring, thinking people – surely it is our responsibility to try to do whatever we can to stop that suffering."

John Hicks, IAR Founder

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India: Dancing Bears

Bear forced to ‘dance&rsquo for tourists

There are approximately 8,000 sloth bears left in the wild in the Indian sub-continent.
Sloth bears are classified by the World Conservation Union as being vulnerable.
They live to over 20 years in the wild.
Their diet consists mainly of ants and termites.

It has been illegal to own or ‘dance’ a bear in India since 1972.
However, illegal trade continues with more than 100 cubs illegally captured from the wild each year and sold.
It is estimated that between 500 and 600 sloth bears are still forced to ‘dance’ by Kalandar nomads in India.
They rarely survive more than seven to eight years as dancing bears.
Threats to their survival include being poached from the wild for use as dancing bears or for their body parts for use in Traditional Chinese Medicines.

> Sloth Bears: Read Barbara Hadley’s study (PDF 132k)
> Agra: Learn more about our bear sanctuary in Agra
> Bannerghatta: Learn more about our bear sanctuary in Bannerghatta

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Latest News

August 2008
Volunteer gives glowing report of her time in Goa
Gal Marwitz from Israel has given a glowing account of the time she spent volunteering at IAR’s clinic and rescue centre in Goa.

July 2008
Wildlife traders sent to prison in Indonesia
Following a joint raid earlier this year by the Forestry Department, International Animal Rescue and the Institute of Animal Advocacy (LASA), two traders in Jatinegara market, Jakarta, Indonesia were arrested.

June 2008
Update on IAR’s work in Indonesia
As well as macaques and slow lorises, our team in Indonesia has ended the suffering of a number of endangered Javan gibbons living in misery in a centre known as Cikananga.

June 2008
Goa vets examine hawksbill sea turtle
In June the vets at the International Animal Rescue centre in Goa had an unusual patient in the form of a giant Hawksbill sea turtle.