Finding a home for Bulgaria's dancing bears

Witness History

In 1998, brown bears were declared a protected species in Bulgaria and the ancient tradition of forcing them to dance for people's entertainment became illegal.

A veterinarian called Dr Amir Khalil helped establish a bear sanctuary in the country, to look after the retired animals.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2018, he spoke to Farhana Haider.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Brown bear in Bulgaria. Credit: Getty Images)