London: India's first ever bear sanctuary has been completed in Sur Sarovar, Agra, giving hope to hundreds of bears that are forced to "dance" on streets to eke out a living for themselves and their masters.

The completion of the World Society for Protection of Animals-built sanctuary marks the culmination of three years of efforts in collaboration with Indian organisation Wildlife SOS, with the project having been entirely funded by WSPA.

It is now under the management of Wildlife SOS and the Indian authorities and is already home to 16 sloth bears that have been voluntarily brought in by their former owners, Victor Watkins, WSPA's liberty campaign director said.

The nine females and seven males range in age from three to 15 years old and all are from Agra region.

"The creation of India's very first bear sanctuary and arrival of its first bears marks a milestone in our campaign to stop dancing bears," he said.

For the first time, authorities have a purpose-built place where confiscated bears can live out the rest of their lives. "We have helped stop the tradition of dancing bears in Greece and Turkey and hope that, in time, we will see to it that this cruelty is banned in India," Watkins said.

PTI