Bear Display During World Cup Prompts PETA Germany Action

Mayor of Moscow Urged to Confiscate Bear, Send Animal to Reputable Sanctuary

For Immediate Release:
June 15, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

In the wake of a video showing a bear being driven through the streets of Moscow and forced to play a musical instrument after Thursday’s opening World Cup match, PETA Germany sent a letter urging Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to identify the bear’s owner, confiscate the animal, and ensure his or her transfer to a reputable sanctuary.

“The cruel and degrading sight of a bear being forced to play a musical instrument shouldn’t be what the world associates with Moscow and the World Cup,” says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “PETA is calling for this bear to be confiscated and retired to a reputable sanctuary where he or she would be able to live in peace, not as a prop.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that in nature, bears are physically active for up to 18 hours a day and spend their time digging, climbing, running, and swimming across vast home ranges. Bears used in performances are carted around in cramped cages, and trainers typically whip, beat, and otherwise torment them to teach them to obey out of fear.

It’s also dangerous to take these animals onto a public street: Bears can run up to 40 miles per hour, faster than any human. Those who have been denied everything that’s natural and important to them have also been known to lash out in frustration by biting, mauling, or otherwise attacking handlers and members of the public.

PETA Germany’s letter to Mayor Sobyanin is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.