DANCING bearS park BELITSA
A safe haven for former dancing bears
In 2000, FOUR PAWS and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation jointly opened DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa - a 30 acre, species appropriate home for former dancing bears to spend the rest of their lives.
The bear sanctuary is located in the Rila mountains of Bulgaria near the town of Belitsa, 106 miles south-east of the capital Sofia.
The sanctuary is home to 25 bears, including bears Jeta and Riku.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, as a security measure, our sanctuary is closed to the public until further notice. The safety of our visitors, staff, and animals is always our highest priority. During this time, we will continue to ensure that our animals are being provided with everything they need. We hope to open again very soon and apologise for any inconvenience.
The keeping of "dancing bears" has a long tradition in Bulgaria.
Thanks to FOUR PAWS' initiative and the adoption of Bulgaria's last three dancing bears in 2007, we ended this practice in Bulgaria once and for all!
The torturous training of bears had been banned since 1998, however, until 2007, many bears were still living in chains.
Riku's new life in DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa
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