Dancing Bear Park

Some years ago, the same crew made an excellent documentary Of men and bears. The story on Kalinka, Malinka and Stefan, dancing bears who were on the streets of Bulgaria to perform and lead a terrible life earning a living for their owners, horrified animal lovers. Today, these three bears and 30 more of their species have a real home with a huge swimming pool, being provided with tons of adequate food and warm care. Brigitte Bardot's foundation for animals, as well as some other international agencies, financed this unique park. The budget adds up to €1 million. Soon, all dancing bears should disappear from the streets of Bulgaria. Each bear has 35 acres of land at its disposal. Their owners get €5000 in reward for giving them up. Nothing would be strange in this story if the park were not situated in one of the poorest parts of Bulgaria. People in the surrounding area are literally starving, scoring unemployment rates of up to 90%, suffering from illness, lack of social care, frustration and disappointment. Through the stories of gypsies (a lot of whom are former bear owners forced to find new jobs), of international representatives who work in the bear park, as well as of disillusioned people in the area, the dramatic story of the Bulgarian reality today unfolds.