Bear dressed in skirt walks around on leash in Russia

[Night Hunter]

Russia comes under fire by animal rights activists for their treatment of bears in the country and this clip shows why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoSYnt7jGlQ

The video shows a heavily domesticated bear wearing a skirt, walking around on a leash led by a man.

 

This "pet" is so tame that people give the animal food from their hands and the bear just sedately takes it.

 

The clip shows the animal riding a scooter through the town before entering a polling station, where people there fuss it and give it treats.

 

The animal is kept very close to it's owner and is also muzzled.

 

Bears are not meant to be domesticated and are loners by nature, meaning they don't need to be in constant company like this one will be.

 

Although it's possible to acclimatise a grizzly bear like this one to your presence, they are still incredibly strong, with big teeth and claws.

Bears are often dressed up and walked around as tourist attractions in the country, and bears kept in zoos are not always treated well; for example, keeping the animals in small cages half submerged in flood water.

 

In Moscow, however, there is a centre helping out orphaned bears. They are fed up to a healthy weight and taught how to fend for themselves in the wild.

 

Source http://www.mirror.co.uk/