# Bear Baiting in Pakistan

> Bear baiting is a blood sport in which fighting dogs are set on a tethered bear, usually an Asian black bear poached from the wild and prepared by having its canine teeth pulled out and its claws filed down. It has been illegal in Pakistan under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act since 1890, but survives in some rural areas. It is now in genuine decline: around 300 bears were being used for baiting in 2003, against roughly 70 by recent estimates.

**Target query:** bear baiting pakistan

## At a glance
| Stat | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| 1890 | Illegal under the Cruelty to Animals Act |
| ~300 → ~70 | Baiting bears, 2003 to recent estimates |
| ~3 min | Typical length of one fight |
| Vulnerable | Asian black bear, IUCN Red List |

## What bear baiting is
A bear is tethered in the middle of a ring and fighting dogs are released at it. A single contest lasts around three minutes, and a bear is often forced through several in one day. Before it ever reaches the ring the animal has been disarmed: its canine teeth are pulled out and its claws are filed down, so it cannot defend itself effectively against the dogs. The events are organised predominantly by local gangsters who own the fighting dogs.

## Where the bears come from
The bears are poached from the wild — mostly Asian black bears, the same species also caged for bile elsewhere in Asia, along with Himalayan brown bears. The Asian black bear is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and on CITES Appendix I, so the trade that supplies baiting is illegal on both animal-welfare and wildlife grounds.

## It is already illegal — and already declining
Bear baiting has been banned in Pakistan under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act since 1890. The problem has never been the absence of a law; it has been enforcement in rural areas where the events are organised. What has worked is sustained monitoring paired with somewhere for confiscated bears to go. When monitoring work began in 2003 there were roughly 300 bears in the baiting trade; recent estimates put it at around 70.

## What effective help looks like
A rescued baiting bear cannot be released: with no canines and filed claws it cannot survive in the wild, so it needs lifetime sanctuary care. That capacity is what the decline was built on — Kund Park opened in 2000, and the Balkasar sanctuary was established in 2010 by the Bioresource Research Centre with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (now World Animal Protection), and holds dozens of former baiting bears. Supporting the organisations that run that sanctuary capacity and monitoring is the effective route. WARN aims to raise support for partner-led rescue in Pakistan — street dogs in Karachi, at /appeals/karachi-dogs — but it does not fund bear-baiting work, and will not ask you to fund a programme it does not run.

## What effective help looks like
This is an educational guide. Its subject and descriptions of other organisations do not establish a dedicated WARN programme. Review any linked appeal separately before deciding to give. WARN is developing support through eligible animal-welfare grants. A guide, photograph or source citation does not confirm a recipient, agreement or payment. A reconciled financial summary and individual grant records have not yet been published here. This is a reporting status, not a statement that income, expenditure or grants are zero. Contact WARN for information about your gift.

- Publishing the evidence, with the numbers and the law stated plainly — including that this is already illegal and already falling.
- Partner-led rescue in Pakistan through the Karachi street dog programme. Recipient selection and any grant must be checked on the linked appeal and public grant register.
- Honest scope: WARN aims to raise support for no bear sanctuary in Pakistan and has no baiting-rescue partner.

## FAQ
### Is bear baiting legal in Pakistan?
No. It has been illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act since 1890. It persists in some rural areas because enforcement there is difficult, not because the practice is permitted.

### Is bear baiting still happening?
Yes, but far less than it was. Around 300 bears were in the baiting trade when monitoring began in 2003; recent estimates put it near 70. It is one of the few animal-cruelty trades genuinely in retreat.

### Why can’t rescued baiting bears be released?
Because of what is done to them beforehand. Their canine teeth are pulled out and their claws filed down, so they cannot forage or defend themselves in the wild. A rescued baiting bear needs sanctuary care for the rest of its life, which is why sanctuary capacity — not just enforcement — is what ended most of the trade.

### Does WARN fund bear rescue in Pakistan?
No. WARN aims to raise support for partner-led street dog rescue in Pakistan (see /appeals/karachi-dogs) but runs no bear-baiting programme and has no sanctuary partner there. This page is educational. Support the organisations that do run that sanctuary capacity.

### How can I check whether WARN has paid a grant?
Read /about/where-your-money-goes/#grant-register for published recipient, approval and payment records. A reconciled financial summary and individual grant records have not yet been published here. This is a reporting status, not a statement that income, expenditure or grants are zero. Contact WARN for information about your gift.

Related appeal: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/moon-bears/
Human-readable page: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/rescue/bear-baiting-pakistan