A bear is tied up with two different ropes and is sitting on a sandy floor. In the background a bed of some sorts can be seen.

Help Support Balkasar Bear Sanctuary

Help bears today

Bears once forced to fight and perform are now safe at the sanctuary — but they can’t survive without help.

For over 200 years, bears were used as bait and as performers in Pakistan. Cubs were violently taken from the wild; their teeth were broken, their claws torn out, nose rings forced through tender skin. Some were made to "dance" in agony; others were tethered and attacked by dogs in illegal baiting arenas.

Donate £10

£10 could help provide the veterinary care needed for a rescue bear

Donate £20

£20 could help feed a rescue bear for a week.

Donate £30

£30 could help transport a frightened bear to safety.

Since 1997, World Animal Protection has worked alongside our local partner, the Bioresource Research Centre (BRC), to shut down bear baiting in Pakistan. With stronger laws in place and fewer events being held, along with our supporters, we have achieved what once seemed impossible: a future without bears used for entertainment.

 

But the bears haven't vanished. They’ve survived. And now, they need care—for life.

 

Please can you help rescue bears today?

Make a difference for bears

 

 

Meet the bears

A handler, whose face cannot be seen, is holding on to a green rope that a bear is tied to. The bear is sitting on a sandy floor and is looking straight at the camera.

Kainat

Used in bear baiting. Found with old fractures, joint damage, and likely had her teeth shattered and claws torn out as a cub. She now walks with a limp and needs daily care—but at the sanctuary, Kainat swims, rests in the shade, and finally lives in comfort.

A close up photograph of an Asiatic Black Bear tied up with ropes.

Anokha

Used in bear dancing and baiting. He spent his days tied outside, exposed to the harsh sun, wind, and rain with little shelter. He was underweight and bruised when surrendered, and taken to Balkasar sanctuary for care. Now, still shy and sometimes restless, he’s slowly healing—finding comfort in quiet moments, fresh grass, and his favourite roti.

Asiatic black bear pictured in a bare room. There is a window in the background with bars on it and the bear has its two front paws placed on something that looks like a concrete trough.

Maya

Used for dancing and forced to perform up to four times a week. After enduring this cruelty, Maya was finally surrendered by her owner to Balkasar sanctuary, where she was sedated by the team to remove the ring and rope from her nose. She now lives a happy life where she can lie out in the sun on the grass and munch on her favourite food – dried fruit treats!

Right now, over 65 bears rescued from lives of pain are safe at Balkasar Sanctuary. They cannot go back to the wild. Most are too injured, too traumatised, or too old. But at the sanctuary, they’re finally safe—and slowly rediscovering what it means to live without fear.

This peace is only possible with your help.

Your gift could provide daily food, medical care, and shelter for the bears who survived cruelty. It could also help stop the last pockets of bear baiting that continue in secret—and protect bears still at risk.

Help them now

Bibi, Ghitte, Peter and Hugh. Four orphaned cubs arrived at AMP Libearty sanctuary in Romania in Autumn 2023, ready to start new lives.

Bears need your help

Your donation will help World Animal Protection to protect animals around the world from cruelty and suffering. We’re fighting cruelty wherever we find it.

Donate now

 

More ways to give

If you would like to donate over the phone, please call our Community & Care team on:

0800 316 9966
(Monday to
Friday from 10am to 2pm)

We will use your donation where the need is greatest to protect animals, like those featured in this appeal, from cruelty and suffering.

Image credits: Images are by BRC