Hi FatGaz,

If you use the 'Search' function at the top of this page, you will find lots of threads about bears, e.g. THIS ONE

the bear came past our hotel most nights.it was mainly germans who had their photos taken.the bloke with the snakes and lizard thing was outside the bellview every afternoon and evening

saw the bear being dragged about by it's chain outside the hotel Riu Helios one night during our stay in August. It really looked unwell. Also saw crocodiles and snakes most nights. Must say didn't see any prostitutes though.

Just got back this morning. I am sad to say I saw bears, sometimes 3 or 4 on some evenings. Shocking and disgraceful. I'm going to send an email to WSPA and see if they can get in there and rescue them. Horrible.

Hi, some four years ago it was announced in Sunday People the Bear business had been stopped by Bulgarian Government. Two tears ago I approached a local policeman in Varna and pointed out the man with Bear. His response in good English"if I arrest the man, who looks after the bear, the bear should not be punished as it is not his fault. I notice it is usally one nationality that poses and pays. I feel like taking a picture of the lot and sending to the newpaper of the peoples country. Tonyt.

We saw the bear, croc, snakes, and lizards when we visited in July. My partner had a go at the guy with the bear, he just put his head down and carried on walking, in shame. It needs to be stopped!! And should be mentioned in the meeting with the reps to keep away from them. The only people we saw taking pictures with them were the germans

Here is my response from WSPA

Many thanks for your email regarding the bears that you saw in Bulgaria.
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We are aware of this practice as we have had numerous meetings with the Bulgarian authorities. WSPA was going to create a bear sanctuary in Bulgaria some years ago - to enable the authorities to confiscate all the dancing bears as there were around 25 to 30 in the country at that time. However, another organisation called Vier Pfoten built a bear sanctuary in the country around 4 years ago with the intention of taking all the dancing bears. however, it appears that there are still several bears used in tourist resorts.  We contact Vier Pfoten regularly up dating them on what reports we receive in so they can concentrate on confiscating these bears.
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Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
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Regards,
ÂÂÂÂ
Kathryn Thorpe
Supporter Services Officer.

Just returned from 2 week hol in sunny beach and i only saw the bear once and i think it is unbelievable that anyone would want there photo taken with this poor animal to remember there holiday by!

Have just got back, didn't stay in sunny beach but spent 2 days there. Didn't see the bear or reptiles but there was a boy begging carrying a very young puppy around.Even in Elenite they had peacocks, parrots, a monkey in a cage and a deer wandering around free which was quite dangerous , it injured at least one woman that I saw.

just got back last Monday from Sunny Beach staying at the Chaika Beach Hotel & I have to say we saw the lot!
There were 4 guys who we saw everyday, with 2 snakes, an alligator & a big lizard, looking to take photo's.
Several nights we saw a gypsy pulling a bear around, by a rope through a ring in its nose & making it dance & begging for money.
We saw "ladies of the night" every night, as two of them were based at the entrance to our Hotel bar.
Also there were small children begging all over the resort. One playing a violin (badly), another playing a piano accordian (even worse) but several just sitting by the side of the road with their hands out!
I don't think we'll be in a hurry to go back.

Seeing the same in Islington woudlnt make me ponder whether to go back to London, anyway...

Hi All,

I visited Sunny Beach August this year!! I Stayed in the Orpheous Hotel right next to Victoria Palace!!

I did see the bear on quite a few occasions, One night we saw the bear try and bite the man and then the bear was dragged off and I never saw it again. It was treated really bad and had a ring through its nose.

In the town centre was where I saw the snakes and the reptiles, as we was walking towards the Cuban hotel 3 snakes where flung around my dads neck and a man holding a crocodile came up to him wanting my dad to pay for a picture! The crocodile looked a bit worse for wear was hardly moving and had celetape around its mouth! They got quite annoyed when my dad refused to pay for a picture and it took quite a while for them to get the hint and to leave us alone!!

As for the prostitutes we seen a few but they are everywhere around the world not just Bulgaria!!

Laura

My boyfriend saw a bear at Sunny Beach when we were there in July. Since coming home I've written to a few organisations - such as Born Free Foundation - and one of them seemed to think they might be able to help get the bear confiscated and transferred to a bear sanctuary that is run elsewhere in Bulgaria. I'm not sure how many bears there are though, but hopefully this might help them rescue more.

Hi, its my first time to bulgeria and i just wondered if anyone could answer my question. I have been researching people's views and opinions on the internet regarding Sunny Beach (we are going in sept) and i came across one from a gentleman who had been this month and he reported that there were exotic animals in the street and dancing bears who were regulary abused!! I just wondered if anyone has known this to be true becuase i have found this quite distressing and it is putting me off going. Thanks.

taken from another site i use i hope this helps
edit
sorry Elaine
I've had to delete.
Copyright laws means that nothing from another site can be copied ( unless we have permission from that site- and we only have that for a few official sites)
Fiona ht mod

Hi, it was reported a few days ago, that the last three performing bears had been taken to a Sanctuary sponsorred by the great Brigitte Bardot, I cannot comment on other animals. Tonyt

we never saw any bears

but there was some cruel gits with bay crocs or aligators with their mouths taped shut trying to get people have there photos taken with them

thankfully nearly all the brits told them where to go (in a not very polite manner, including myself)

there was also people with birds and snakes and the odd monkey (who were met with the same go away comment

A number of reports suggest that dancing bears are no more in Bulgaria, see HERE and THIS may be the one Eileen was wishing to point out.

I don't know about Sunny Beach, but in Golden Sands I have seen very well cared for and apparently happy parrots as photographer's props, and regrettably in the past, snakes and lizards.

Peter

Just back fom SB. We never saw any dancing bears. But we did see a big snake and a small crocodile. All in the same place, nowhere else. They weren't forced on people. Sad, but didn't ruin our holiday. Ignore them like we did and perhaps one day they will give up.