Iconic French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has asked the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina for assistance in the release of two bears held captive in the country.

Bardot, who turns 75 today, wants the two brown bears to be released and transported in a refuge in Germany. The animals are currently kept tied with chains in the vicinity of Gornji Vakuf in the central part of the country, the B92 radio reported.

Bardot became very dedicated to animal rights after she retired from the entertainment industry in 1973, at which point she had appeared in more than fifty films and recorded several music albums.

In 2000, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the welfare and protection of animals and the Four Paws foundation established the Park for Dancing Bears, located in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountain, just 20 kilometres from the town of Bansko.

The park, which is Europe’s biggest, provides a refuge and home to bears, which have been trained to dance. The cruel practice, which is now weaning but enjoyed popularity in the Balkan region, included the bears’ capture while young, and teaching them to dance to music by piercing their nose and putting a metal ring attached to a chain through the hole, thus ensuring instant submission through the pain.

http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1485