AR-News: Pakistan Allowing Cruel Bear Sport

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From: meriem 
To:; Linda UK ; Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 9:47 PM
Subject: Pakistan Allowing Cruel Bear Sport


Found at: http://www.oneworld.net/article/view/89369/1/

 

Pakistan Allowing Cruel Bear Sport: Activists

Ahmad Naeem Khan <mailto:ruth.david at oneworld.net> 

LAHORE, July 6 (OneWorld) - Animal activists in Pakistan accuse authorities of encouraging a savage medieval sport in which de-fanged and de-clawed Asiatic bears are tethered to a post and set upon by ferocious pit bull terriers.   A team of undercover investigators funded by the international body, World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), discovered that instances of "bear baiting", as the sport is known, increased from 10 in 2002 to over 20 in 2003.   Law enforcement officials are accused of failing to follow up reports of the torture of these endangered animals or implementing laws against bear baiting.   The WSPA - an umbrella organization of about 450 wildlife groups that operates in close to 120 countries - estimates there may be less than 300 bears in the wild in Pakistan. Adult bears are often killed so their cubs can be sold into captivity.   "Our attempts to get the authorities to take action have been met with indifference and sometimes resulted in threats and intimidation," the WSPA's project manager in Pakistan, Fakhar Abbas, charged last week.   Abbas, who has witnessed several illegal bear baiting events, says he has often been threatened and attacked for opposing it.   He complains, "We place ourselves at great risk when exposing bear baiting events, only to see our efforts sabotaged by tip-offs, bureaucratic barriers and even staged confiscations after which the bears mysteriously disappear without a trace."   Bear baiting, widespread in Europe in medieval times, was introduced to this region by the British during colonial rule. The sport has been illegal in Pakistan for over 100 years but this is probably the only country where bear baiting still takes place.   When WSPA began its probe in 1993, around 300 of the endangered bears and 1,000 dogs were involved in the savage events that cause dreadful injuries to all the animals involved. Today, the number of fighting bears has reportedly reduced to around 50.   Abbas charges that official involvement is so widespread that earli!

 er this 

year, the divisional wildlife officer in the city of Hyderabad in Sindh province himself organized a bear-baiting event.   The problem with tackling the evil is that the organizers of these contests are usually well-off rural landlords, who wield huge power. Local gypsies, known as kalanders, rear the bears for the landlords.   WSPA says dozens of bear baiting contests take place between November and April each year in rural areas. Three of Pakistan's four provinces - Punjab in the east, Sindh in the south and the southwestern province of Balochistan - witness these sports.   Fuelled by chants from spectators, trained dogs set upon the bears from the start of the fight, injuring themselves and the tethered bears. The keepers of the animals usually separate them before they kill each other for the bears are in too great demand to allow them to die each time a fight takes place.   The events often resemble carnivals, attracting hundreds of spectators and giving the landlords a chance to flaunt their wealth. Often, the very officials who are supposed to stop such contests act as ushers for the landlords' guests, charges WSPA.   But an official of the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife, Anis Haider, denies charges of official inaction. "Effective advocacy and control measures have reduced bear baiting events in Pakistan," he claims.   Adds Haider, "Earlier, bear baiting events were hosted openly across the country, but now these have declined drastically and the few contests that do take place are held clandestinely. A number of people involved in bear baiting have been arrested and animals rescued from them."   But Victor Watkins, director of WSPA's Liberty Campaign, says, "Although we had initial success in getting temporary crackdowns on bear baiting over the past few years, Pakistan needs to act now if we are to avoid a full-scale resumption of it."   Four years ago, the WSPA had constructed a facility to house rescued bears in Kund Park in North West Frontier Province. It has a handful of bea!

 rs now, 

only one of which was confiscated by authorities from a bear-baiting event.   But there is a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered bears. An official of the World Wide Fund for Nature reveals that although the population of bears has declined in the past decade, conservation efforts have borne some fruit.   In the Deosai plateau in the north of Pakistan, the population of the furry animals has increased from 16 in 1993 to 30 in 2004, he says.   But Vaqar Zakaria of the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation cautions that bears can face extinction if they aren't protected.   Animal rights activist Hameed-ur-Rehman cautions that another threat facing bears is the depletion of their habitats. He says the black bear species found mostly in Balochistan is on the verge of extinction. 

Related links

 <<ole0.bmp>> World Society for the Protection of Animals  <http://www.wspa.org.uk/index.php?page=40>     

 <<ole1.bmp>> IRIN News <http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39464&SelectRegion=Central_Asia&SelectCountry=PAKISTAN >    

 

 

 

 

 
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