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Can Freeing Captive Bears in Armenia End the Attitudes That Imprisoned Them?
A young family of three enjoys a delightful meal on an uncommonly warm fall day in one of Armenia’s many outdoor restaurants. A doting father leans playfully across the table to poke a fork at his cherub-like son. The child’s mother looks on lovingly. It’s a scene that would be the stuff of tourist brochures—were it not for its disturbing backdrop.
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PLEASE RELEASE THESE BEARS!!!!!!!
Immediately free the bears. Whild animals do not belong in cages or private zoos. This is applicable to every country in the world. Eating food at a restaurant with the bears in a backdrop is a lunacy. These people need to find some better things to satisfy their curiosity. They must be bored to death.
This was so disturbing to see/read and cannot believe that this is happening. Who thought to imprison the bears in Armenia? Please release them immediately.
I am pleased to learn that attention is being given to the plight of these animals. I didn’t know this specific caging cruelty existed. Humans have much to learn in not harming other species, whether here in the US or, most likely, every other country.
Hy there my old environmental green friends of greenmenia!
I’d like to share an email from my sister, Lucy when I forwarded to her the article about caging bears.
“This is a very sad commentary on the lacking of environment/animal protection by national and local governments. By the way are there any animals left in Armenia? It looks like we’re going in the direction of China where it’s eat or kill anything that walks on four legs. It appears the people in Armenia need to be educated in more ways than chess and mathematics.” Our grandfather Marker who was from the village of KERAMET near the fresh water lake of Iznik owned 200 sheep and six dogs of the KARABASH breed. No where in family lore was there any mention of cruelty to animals.
Ellen Sarkisian Chesnut
The reason I wrote this piece was not just to call attention to the plight of the bears, but to the lack of sustainable solutions that might repair Armenians’ relationship to the natural world. Given the millennia Armenians have continuously inhabited this land, it’s particularly sad how disenfranchised many living on it have become. But I’m not trying to ‘blame’ anyone in particular, per se, as this is a cultural phenomenon—no single individual is at fault.
Reading the article will tell you that an international animal rights organization from the UK is working to save all the bears in Armenia—so that element is already taking place. They still need help to secure the funds (and you can donate by going to greatbearrescue.org), but what happens after IAR pulls out of Armenia?
I’m really calling for foresight. Government action (i.e. outlawing) isn’t enough—that’s why I brought up the case of bear dancing in India. We need grass roots, sustainable solutions, which usually start from a profound understanding of how we got here in the first place. I don’t think that important groundwork has been covered yet. And that’s what I’m trying to highlight in this article.
Barbaric for Armenians to allow this treatment of the bears. Place them in their natural habitat where they belong now. Shame on the restaurant owners to promote this circus-like display. Thanks Karine for writing this piece.
About time to respect the freedom of bears, whenever I visited Armenia I always avoided restaurants that
have bears in cages.