On Japan's Bear Parks bears are overcrowded in cement enclosures where they are not allowed to express any of their natural behaviours. Bears are forced to beg and fight for food as a form of entertainment. Visitors are encouraged to throw scraps of food into the enclosures, which can cause the hungry bears to fight fiercely for the scraps of food. Many of the animals show signs of terrible injuries from bite and claw wounds.
In the wild, bears live mostly solitary lives and rarely come into contact with each other in this way. Chronic overcrowding occurs all too often and cubs continue to be bred for a horrible life on bear parks. With such severe space restrictions it is extremely difficult for the bears to carry out a full range of species-typical behaviour.
Concrete flooring and walls leads to abrasions and sores on the animals' feet, or footpad ulcerations, especially when, due to boredom, animals pace up and down the enclosures.
Most bear parks do not provide the bears with any form of shelter during the day. No activities or "enrichment" are provided in the enclosures, which means continuing and unbearable boredom leading to fights and stereotypical pacing behaviour.
Bears are on constant display leading to chronic stress that can rapidly reach unmanageable levels. Poor exhibit designs allow visitors to look down on the animals from elevated viewing stations, or view them from all sides, essentially surrounding them. There is nowhere to escape from more dominant and aggressive bears.
There are circus shows at most bear parks which force bears to perform a range of highly unnatural tricks including playing football, riding bicycles and balancing on balls.
Bear products such as tinned bear meat and bear oil have been found on sale in a number of bear parks.
Some bear parks actively promote the misconception that bears are aggressive animals that will fight and attack at every given opportunity.
This petition will reach Japanese authorities and bear park owners. We ask that the worst bear parks be shut down immediately and the bears sent to sanctuaries.
We will ask bear park owners to ban public feedings which perpetuate aggressive behaviour in the bears and unnatural begging for food. We will ask that the breeding of cubs for this purpose stop immediately. We will urge bear park owners to improve the lives of the bears by transforming the concrete pits into larger forested enclosures and if they are unable to provide these animals with the degree of animal welfare a civilized society demands, we suggest that they close down the bear parks as a gesture of goodwill towards wildlife.
For more information and to view photos on the miserable life of bears at Japan's bear parks, visit http.//www.kuma-aigo.com/eng/index.asp#