A gang forced a blind bear to fight dogs while it was tied up despite having a number of injuries. Pooh, the black bear, spent most of his life tied up and held captive, was forced to fight dogs.
The injuries caused the blindness of the animal.
The World Animal Protection, an animal charity, said they don’t know how Pooh ended up with the cruel gang.
Luckily, the black bear was rescued along with 11 other bears.
Pooh has spent the last 4 years in Balkasar Sanctuary, but his keepers said he may never fully recover from the injuries and mental trauma he suffered from his former cruel members.
Marie Chambers, the manager at the World Animal Protection, said, “He’s a traumatised bear. He still has a lot of behavioural issues. He’s had times when he doesn’t move, our partners have had to find a way to make him move.”
He added, “They discovered that what worked best was to fill big bones with food and start spreading it out.”
It is said that Pooh was injured and blinded by dogs that fought him.
Marie added, “It has no way to escape. The fights go on for three minutes and the bears’ injuries are rarely treated properly. They don’t have sharp teeth or claws because these are normally removed when they are clubs.”
The manager continued, “They don’t have a life. Ten years ago there were a lot of bear baiting events, but thanks to some great work by our partners this has now gone down. However, it’s now gone underground, which makes it more difficult to stop.”
The World Animal Protection also shared the story of Pooh on their Instagram page, in which they said, “Adopt a small bear with a big appetite. Pooh was left completely blind by bear baiting, but at Balkasar he enjoys a life of snoozing, playing with his friend Chowti and – most importantly – eating!”