Voice 1 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin Voice 2 And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1 December 18, 2009. In Bangalore, India, Raju is set free. Raju is a sloth bear. This large, hairy, black animal has white marks across his chest in the shape of the English letter “V”. He has spent his life performing as a dancing bear. But today, he is free. He is one of more than six hundred rescued bears. Today's Spotlight is on the dancing bears of India, and a new project to give them a better life. Voice 2 Sloth bears live in family groups in the forest. They eat ants and other insects that live in the ground. But thousands of bears have been captured or killed by humans. Some are killed to make traditional medicine. Traditional healers make this medicine from the bears' organs, such as the gall bladder. Other bears become trained dancing bears.
Voice 1 These bears start life in the wild forest. People capture them when the bears are only three weeks old. Often, they kill the mother bear. Many of the baby bears do not survive without their mother. If they do survive, then they begin training. They learn to perform tricks and move in special ways. But this training is often painful. The trainers pull out the bear's teeth, and they put a hole through the bear's nose. Then, they pull a rope through the bear's nose. By pulling on the rope, the trainer can control the bear. He forces the bear to dance and perform for money.
Voice 2 Many people and organizations have been trying to put an end to dancing bears. It causes pain to the animal because of the rope through its nose. Sometimes the training of the bear is also painful. Trainers may beat the bear with a rope and stick. They may not give the bear enough food. The bears also have to walk for long distances. Sometimes they walk in a very polluted environment. Often, trainers tie the bears to a short rope. The bears have a very small area to move in. Many of them die of diseases or infected wounds. For all these reasons, people who are concerned about animals and the environment have been working to stop the practice of dancing bears.
Voice 1 The killing of bears is a big problem for India. Many people are worried because the numbers of sloth bears is decreasing. Soon there may be very few of them left. So, in 1972, the government passed a law to make bear dancing illegal. But it continued. This is because the bears were part of a traditional way of life for the Kalandar people. The Kalandar are a minority group in India. The business passed from parents to children. The Kalandar performed with the dancing bears on the streets or at special events. Then they were given money. This was the way they supported their families. This tradition has been going on in India for about four hundred years.
Voice 2 Some Kalandar perform with other animals or do tricks to make money. But they believe that the dancing bears are the best animal for performing. The bear is full of power. The sloth bear can weigh up to one hundred and forty five kilograms. The bear also has a position of respect in Indian culture. In the Ramayana, a Hindu holy book, the bear tribe helps the Lord Rama. Many Indians believe that the hair of the bear has power to protect humans. But the custom of dancing bears does not honour the bears. It causes much suffering. The Kalandar needed a way to make money but the bears also needed to be free.
Voice 1 Two people found a solution to the problem. In 1997, the condition of the dancing bears greatly affected Kartick Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani. They spent one and a half years researching the dancing bears. Based on this research, they began Wildlife SOS. Other organizations from France, Australia and the United Kingdom also joined them. Together they began a project to rescue the bears.
Voice 2 The Wildlife SOS Agra Bear Rescue Facility opened in 2002. Since then, workers have rescued over 600 bears. They cannot return the bears to the wild. They were taken away from the forest as young baby cubs. They do not know how to feed or defend themselves. So the rescue centres provide a natural environment where humans still feed and care for the animals. The workers remove the ropes from the bears' noses. The bears can move around without being tied up. Wildlife SOS gives them an environment where they can enjoy life without pain.
Voice 1 And the Kalandars were not forgotten either. Wildlife SOS gives them training in new skills. This way, they can make money for their families without the bears. Some make clothes or cook food to sell. The Kalandar children are also going to school. The future of the Kalandar looks brighter.
Voice 2 The Wildlife SOS Agra Bear Rescue Facility is only one of many places that have been set up to help the bears. Mary Hutton is the founder of Free the Bears Fund of Australia. This is one of the organizations that helped to set up the project. She says Voice 3 “We are so happy at the success of this project. We will make sure that the bears are never again forced to dance on the streets of India. There is still much work to be done to provide the bears with the best possible quality of life.” Voice 1 This is an example of how humans can help take care of animals. Christians believe that this is part of our purpose. Though human behaviour caused this problem, humans have also tried to make it better. In India there is now a solution. Only a few dancing bears remain. And people do not see these bears on the street anymore. Many bears are safe and the Kalandar people have better opportunities.
Voice 2 Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder of Wildlife SOS, said: Voice 4 “This event is of huge historic importance in India and cause for real celebration. No longer will India be shamed by the shocking picture of captured bears being beaten on the roadside or pulled sadly through the traffic and dust by a rope through their noses. It is time for everyone who has supported this project to celebrate what we have achieved.” Voice 1 Congratulations to India and all the partners who have helped! We hope that humans will find a way to take good care all of our animals.
Voice 2 The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Joshua Leo. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can visit our website at http://www.radio.english.net. This program is called “Dancing Bears.” We hope you can join us again, for the next Spotlight program.
