Unbearable cruelty

[Animal 0]

Unbearable cruelty


Mass. activist shines light on sloth bear abuse


By Eva Wolchover
Sunday, December 21, 2008 - Added 1d 19h ago



A Shrewsbury resident is at the forefront of an unusual animal rights’ cause: the “dancing bears” of India.

The sloth bears have long been a mainstay at the legendary Taj Mahal palace, where they have performed for 17th century emperors and camera-toting tourists alike.

But behind a colorful and exotic attraction lurks a cruel reality, said Shrewsbury resident Laurence Eve Van Atten, who runs the American office for International Animal Rescue, a British-based nonprofit.

“On a trip to India I had heard about the dancing bears and thought it was one of the most horrible things I’d ever heard,” said Van Atten, 29.

After the bears’ capture as cubs, she said, poachers use red-hot pokers to hammer holes through their muzzles. Rope is strung through the holes and when it is tugged, the bears leap (or “dance”) in pain.

“The canine teeth are smashed out, rendering them defenseless so that they can be dragged around the streets. All the bears are controlled by that rope on their nose,” said Van Atten.

The captors force the bears to “dance” in exchange for cash from tourists, she said. And sadly, “It’s mostly American and British tourists that will pay to see the bears dance.”

The bears often are beaten blind in an attempt to pacify them, while others go blind from malnutrition.

Van Atten, a University of Massachusetts at Amherst grad, traveled to India in 2006 as part of her graduate work for the University of Edinburgh. Since then, she has worked in the Bay State to raise awareness of the mistreatment of the bears.

Van Atten has organized community fund-raisers and regular lectures to educate and discourage American tourists from paying to see the bears “dance” when visiting India. She plans a springtime “Bhair-a-thon,” where local salons will cut hair in exchange for donations to three bear sanctuaries in India.

The IAR has rescued about 500 bears, which are voluntarily turned over by their captors. The former owners are offered vocational training in return.

“It’s not just an animal welfare project,” Van Atten said, “we’re also helping these people live a better lifestyle.”

As for the bears, she said, “They live out their lives on these sanctuaries. It’s almost like a retirement home. They can never be released in the wild - their teeth have been smashed out and they have been raised by people since they were cubs.”

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