Ukraine to save bears from forced vodka drinking

[LynneSin]

Ukraine to save bears from forced vodka drinking

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/03/ukraine-to-save-bears-from-forced-vodka-drinking/

KIEV (Reuters Life!) - Ukraine's Environment Minister Mykola Zlochevsky vowed on Wednesday to free all bears kept in restaurants for entertainment purposes and often forced to drink alcohol, Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.

Captured and tamed bears were often used for entertainment in the Russian Empire, which included Ukraine, turning the animal into a national symbol.

The practice appears to have also survived Ukraine's emergence from Soviet rule, but Zlochevsky said it was inhumane and unacceptable today.

"On television, they keep showing bears suffering in restaurants and roadside hotels," Interfax quoted him as saying. "How long can we tolerate animal torture in restaurants where drunken guests make bears drink vodka for laughs?"

I don't know about you, but even when tame I'm not sure I want to hang out with a drunk bear - but that's just me

[SwissTony]

1. But what about alcoholic bears in withdrawal?

An absolutely dreadful practice. Words just don't describe...

[MrScorpio]

2. This will not end well

Poor bears.