Sloth bears are exploited for street performances and bile in parts of their range. Zoo populations serve welfare rescue and conservation roles.
Sloth bear welfare has a distinctive history: thousands of sloth bears in India were captured as cubs, had their muzzles pierced, and were controlled through rings to perform as dancing bears for tourist income. The physical and psychological trauma from this practice was extreme. Following the 2009 ban and sustained effort by Wildlife SOS, former dancing bears have been rehabilitated in dedicated sanctuaries — a welfare success story demonstrating that even severely traumatized animals can recover given appropriate long-term care. Sloth bears in zoo settings require enrichment that engages their specialized foraging adaptations: substrates for digging, access to termite mounds or simulated equivalents, honey feeders, and appropriate social dynamics. The rehabilitation model developed for former dancing bears has broader applicability to traumatized wildlife.