Animal Cruelty: Bear Baying As Dog Training

Animal Cruelty, Bear Baiting, South Carolina - By Staff Writer on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 12:36

Unless you are from South Carolina, you probably have never heard of bear baying or baiting.  Bear baying, which has been banned from all other 49 states, is the practice where bears are placed in an enclosed area and dogs are unleashed upon the bear.  The bears have been de-clawed to prevent serious injury on the dogs. The goal of bear baying is to get the dogs to bark at and go after the bear until it rears up on its hind legs.  Often the bear is cornered into the fence clearly frightened.

Hunters claim that this exercise helps to train their dogs and according to the law in South Carolina this is legal for training purposes as long as their is not repeated contact between the animals.  The problem is that the Humane Society has footage of this practice showing it is clearly inhumane and cruel towards the bear. 

The practice has become somewhat like dog fighting without the attack.  Contests are held to see whose dog can get the bear to bay or rear up first.  The bear is attacked relentlessly while penned or chained often with no break or water for hours at a time.  This must stop! 

Check out the video below and spread the word