Saving the Dancing Bears
BECOME A MEMBER
•
01-Dec-2023
For over 400 years, in India, the rare Sloth Bear was targeted for human exploitation…first for the emperors, then as roadside entertainment for villagers and tourists who paid to watch the bears jump, conditioned after years of abuse by trainers.
Given the ongoing legacy of cruelty, two individuals decided to stop this practice, rescue the bears still in captivity and create a sanctuary where they can heal and live in safety for the rest of their lives. This is the story of the founders of WILDLIFE SOS-Kartik Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani. Early on, they realized they had to help the people whose livelihood had depended for so long on the Dancing Bear trade--finding jobs for the men, empowering the women and providing education for the sometimes exploited children. Saving the Dancing Bears is more than a wildlife rescue film: in the process of saving the bears, they also saved a human community.
Up Next in BECOME A MEMBER
-
The Last Stand
THE LAST STAND examines the urgent race to save the world's last remaining ancient forests and stop global warming. This emotive documentary, using the flashpoint of British Columbia's "Battle for the Trees" at Fairy Creek, examines the importance of keeping intact forest ecosystems: in North Am...
-
Remaking Wolf Connection
Scientific evidence shows that wolves were our first teachers, an ancestral relationship borne out of community and survival. From Wolf Connection’s first days, they have witnessed this collaborative bond– the magic it catalyzes and lives it saves. They continue to distill these lessons from wolv...
-
Free Billy
Taken from the wild in Malaysia as a baby, Billy was transported to Los Angeles Zoo. There he was cruelly trained to do tricks to amuse the visitors.
Thirty years later, having led a mostly solitary life in the zoo, Billy exhibits symptoms of mental and physical distress.
This powerful film foll...