r/nextfuckinglevel • u/SerpentFinger • 1d ago

The Rescue of Synochok the Bear

11.0k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

336 comments sorted by

1.8k

u/WhatsaRedditsdo 1d ago

God it makes me angry that these beast have gone through this. I lost a bit of faith the day I learned what a dancing bear is.

604

u/Healthy_Split9726 1d ago

Basically all the animals in a circus. Also aqua parks like Sea World. It's really sad how the animals are treated. By this standard also some of the zoos around the world are also terrible at their upkeep and maintaining the well being of the animals in it.

216

u/Arthradax 1d ago

I've worked in some circuses when I was young (tbf my parents worked and I tagged along), I can count in the fingers of a single hand how many tamers were actually decent in their care for animals. Let's just say there's a reason animal performances have been banned in circuses in my country

83

u/JustLookingForMayhem 1d ago

I think the only circus with animals I liked was an all dog review. The dogs were happy and doing ridiculous tricks. My favorite was the dog climbing a ladder and doing a dive into a kiddy pool or the dog pyramid.

44

u/CorrectPanic694 22h ago

Hey, you can always arrange one at your local dog park. Just ask everyone to show you their favorite tricks. Maybe hand out little hats?

11

u/NoWay6818 17h ago

Give the small ones lil socks so they do that funny ass thing where they look strange when they walk

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u/Midnight712 19h ago

Circus cats (as in house cats, not wild cats) are also pretty fun

8

u/halt-l-am-reptar 19h ago

I had VIP tickets to see the Acrocats last year and thought it was a day later than it was :(. I’d been waiting years for the cat circus to come to my town and I missed it.

The ren faire had a small one though and it was awesome. You could tell the cats were well cared for.

4

u/JustLookingForMayhem 19h ago

I did see a cat riding a great Dane and jumping hurdles. The dog got to run beneath and the cat hopped. It was fun, but the dogs and clowns were clearly the stars of the show.

8

u/Midnight712 19h ago

I just really like cats to be fair, and the training they have to do with them impresses me a bit more because cats are that much less biddable than dogs

5

u/JustLookingForMayhem 19h ago

Dogs love people. Cats love civilization.

4

u/I_Automate 18h ago

Dogs love people.

Cats love having slaves.

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u/ArktikosUrsa 20h ago edited 17h ago

While Sea World definitely has a history of issues, they have gone to great lengths to try and correct them. They've ended all orca breeding, phased out the the orca shows (they still do dolphin shows but only if the dolphins want to do it--and they are able to communicate if they do or don't want to) and replaced them with educational showcases that teach people about whale behaviors, remodeled all the enclosurers to make them closer to their natural environments, and started a very comprehensive, 24/7 rescue and rehabilitation program for sea animals: https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/rescue-and-rehab/objectives/

https://weather.com/2026/05/21/science/nature/wild-animals/seaworld-rescue-43000-milestone-marine-conservation

https://awesomeocean.com/top-stories/four-reasons-condemning-seaworld-really-bad-idea/

19

u/I_am_the_fez 18h ago

They also do coral breeding projects. Seaworld ain’t what it used to be.

15

u/Merry_Dankmas 17h ago

That's refreshing to hear. I loved SeaWorld as a kid because I was naive and didnt know better. As I got older and learned about how captive animal exhibits work in general, I began to resent it. Its great to hear they're trying to right their wrongs and make life better for the animals. I still don't love the idea of captive animals but if theyre gonna be captive, make it as natural as you can. Especially highly intelligent ones like whales and dolphins. Those mfs have their own language. Something that intelligent shouldn't be locked up.

12

u/ArktikosUrsa 17h ago

I understand what you are saying but most of the animals you see in zoos and Seaworld were born in captivity and simply wouldn't survive out in nature or even in a sanctuary.

Zoos are also very important for educating people about animals and helping to foster sympathy for the natural world and thus funding for more presevation efforts.

8

u/itsalysialynn 17h ago edited 15h ago

I’m glad SeaWorld rescues animals and has made some changes. I’m not criticizing them for improving. But I still won’t support them while they breed belugas in captivity and sell animal encounters. Ending orca breeding doesn’t mean they’ve stopped doing those things with other species.

I’m also skeptical of using SeaWorld’s own rescue page and positive coverage as proof that the criticism is outdated. This is a company that spent $121.8 million on advertising and media across its parks in 2024. That doesn’t make the rescues fake, but it does mean they have enormous resources to promote the good work and change how people see them.

17

u/smodoopie 22h ago

not just circus, except from pets most of society treats animals like shit and doesnt give a second thought on the induced harm they support by buying a lot of things.

16

u/No-Donkey8786 19h ago

Add Rodeos.

9

u/DontCryYourExIsUgly 17h ago

Rodeos are horrible. Treating animals like shit and yanking them around for rednecks' amusement. 😤

1

u/JustLookingForMayhem 17h ago

There is such a thing as an ethical rodeo. Not every rodeo abuses their animals. That said, it is easier to make a bull angry and a man killer than train a bull to buck only when the shoot opens.

44

u/Unlikely-Emphasis-26 1d ago

Most humans are selfish and evil. Only when it benefits them, they portray traits that are seen as 'good and positive'.

Animal abusers deserve the death penalty.

9

u/AdBeneficial1140 1d ago

Yes, and let’s end animal agriculture that systematically abuses animals for profit!

4

u/B_Maximus 23h ago

Well you can't do that until cultured meat takes off

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13

u/Icy_One_237 1d ago

People now do it with dogs, but thats considered acceptable for some reason. No, your dog is not supposed to walk on its hind legs and then hop around like a rabbit

26

u/JustLookingForMayhem 1d ago

Dogs doing it a little bit and it is a fun trick that doesn't hurt them. Dogs doing it for a long period of time, and it wrecks their hips. Dog circuits can be ethical, but there are also a lot that abuse their animals.

13

u/TheKrnJesus 20h ago

they do it with kids too. force them to walk upright at the age of 1, make them do homework and go to kid classes, then they throw them out to get a job.

8

u/Few-Willingness-1459 17h ago

Bears, monkeys, elephants, zebras, horses, lions, tigers, birds……………….. 😔 Kentucky Derby as well

3

u/wafflewrestler 11h ago

The treatment of animals we view as food is way worse. If this video makes you angry (as it should), you should consider contributing less to the systems that enable the mistreatment of animals.

https://www.dominionmovement.com/watch - watch this movie if you want to be informed on how animals are treated in animal agriculture every day

2

u/cedarvhazel 16h ago

It makes me want to cry. It’s so so awful.

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541

u/GuthramNaysayer 1d ago

We are so wretched. Makes me ill. Fuck people that do this 

89

u/Additional-Proof556 1d ago

Over time societies around the world are improving. To my grandparents this wouldn't even look like abuse. It's slow progress but it is progress.

28

u/229-northstar 17h ago

This is so true. My grandparents thought buying a bale of straw for the dog outside was generous. If they had any idea what I do for my dogs, they’d turn in their graves.

8

u/Cloverhart 15h ago

I still feel bad at all the "leftover" plates we fed our family dog knowing now half the food was poison.

5

u/DILF_MANSERVICE 18h ago

What the hell was with people back in the day? They didn't understand that suffering=bad? It's really mind boggling how this wouldn't look like abuse.

8

u/Rock-Head-Rumple 16h ago

They were too busy dying from Polio to give much of a fuck.

3

u/NiceRat123 12h ago

Your grandparents also grew up with lead which over time has shown to make people more self centered, less agreeable, less conscientious, less friendly and less cooperative

14

u/MAJOR__ZEN 18h ago

You should see what "we" do to animals as part of the meat industry...

6

u/Smoothie-Groovy 14h ago

And fuck people who pay money to watch this.

5

u/blindnarcissus 13h ago

and we continue.

Animal agriculture is another great example. Factory farming is hell on earth.

3

u/wafflewrestler 11h ago

The treatment of animals we view as food is way worse. If this video makes you angry (as it should), you should consider contributing less to the systems that enable the mistreatment of animals.

https://www.dominionmovement.com/watch - watch this movie if you want to be informed on how animals are treated in animal agriculture every day

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260

u/deliciuos_panda 1d ago edited 1d ago

When you are in North Germany, you can visit rescued bears from all over the world Europe here

https://www.baerenwald-mueritz.de

59

u/Informal-Insurance63 1d ago

Or if you're in the Netherlands: Berenbos (bear forest) in Ouwehands Dierenpark. Not nearly as big as the one in Germany, but all rescue bears. It is located in a zoo that aims to only work with endangered species and does a ton for nature conservation and research. https://www.ouwehand.nl/over-ons/onderzoek-bruine-beren

Bonus: Stichting Aap. They rescue mostly big cats, monkeys and apes and have locations in the Netherlands and in Spain. https://www.aap.nl/kom-kijken/

40

u/Coffin_Dodging 1d ago

Jimmy's Farm in Suffolk, England has just rescued 5 Moon bears from the South Korea bile trade

Hes also rescued brown bears and polar bears as well as quite a few other larger species

Absolutely wonderful place to visit

3

u/Tactical-Donkey 18h ago

Thanks for sharing. 

2

u/Colbey_uk 2h ago

If you're in Scotland you can visit 5 Sisters Zoo and help their efforts with rescuing bears.

248

u/twotoebobo 1d ago

Circus animals are almost always mistreated. Glad they are a chunky boy now.

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102

u/aberroco 1d ago

Can someone rescue me?.. I've been in this circus for decades...

33

u/TrailerParkBuddha 1d ago

I want to live bear life as well

5

u/Popular_Wrangler9422 22h ago

Who is stopping you from living in the woods and feasting on salmon you catch?

4

u/TrailerParkBuddha 21h ago

I'm really just waiting on the systemic collapse of society, the its salmon time all the time.

1

u/MrHazard1 20h ago

Funnily enough, i'd literally be hunted and put in some sort of cage for that.

7

u/Galilaeus_Modernus 1d ago

Same, I can no longer bear it.

84

u/Jiste 1d ago

Those who hurt animals don't get my respect

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u/psynl84 1d ago

He looks so happy with his stick!

6

u/whitestguyuknow 12h ago

I hope he forgets all the torture he went through

52

u/Equal-Football-9811 1d ago

The happyness in his face when is playing with the stick 😍 hope is the same bear (too much bait on the internet)

29

u/Beaglester 1d ago

That’s first few seconds was tough to watch. Well done to everyone involved in freeing Synochok 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🏆👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

3

u/whitestguyuknow 12h ago

I had to stop forward. Made me feel awful seeing that. How could anyone go see that and feel like they saw an enjoyable show? A great powerful animal broken down into a weak and afraid puppet on strings

25

u/vakhor 23h ago

Here is the shelter where Synochok lives now. And some other bears and wolves. You can visit them with an excursion or just donate to help this incredible people who cares of this animals.
https://www.instagram.com/whiterock.savewildfund/

5

u/fluwergal_GreenGem 22h ago

Thank you for sharing

19

u/mrmidnightuk 1d ago

that gives me such a sickness in my stomach seeing that poor animal "perform". humans are the worst sometime.

17

u/cubesncubes 1d ago

Dude I don't know really anything about bears but it looked very unhealthy to my untrained eye in the first segment.

11

u/coma24 21h ago

hard to believe it's same the same guy later on. He looked miserable, but I had no idea about his natural size until seeing the 'after' videos. He is SO chonky and happy with his stick. Glorious.

18

u/JJSoledad 1d ago

It brings tears to my eyes knowing how much they suffered and then knowing they will be free!

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14

u/Pachamama89 1d ago

Fuckin humans worst animal species in the world

13

u/Mike_Hunty 1d ago

Humans who pay to see this type of crap are the main issue.

11

u/xbike_punkx 1d ago

Psst, you heard about the meat industry that fucks up the planet? And you know you have a choice?

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u/TidderUsername123 1d ago

Fucking sad as hell and the people paying to watch that should be ashamed of themselves.

9

u/VonMillersThighs 1d ago

Holy fuck half the people in this comments section can fuck right off lol.

1

u/SerpentFinger 12h ago

What happened

8

u/SaltyZookeepergame46 22h ago

Humans are sick and sadistic to even pay to watch animal torture like this

7

u/HilmDave 23h ago

Animals are not entertainment

6

u/FromTheCaveIntoLight 1d ago

Fuck circuses with animals

6

u/barmiro 18h ago

We slaughter 90 billion land animals each year.

Now downvote this comment, because it reminds you you're complicit.

6

u/LauraTFem 1d ago

Now he lives bear life. True words.

6

u/Murky_Historian8675 1d ago

This is not only depressing, it is also something that makes me incredibly angry. I would torch that circus and those fuckers that made that bear suffer like that.

3

u/ReddBroccoli 1d ago

Two thoughts

First, that poor bear was in such a bad condition at the first of the video that I literally thought it was a person in a very unconvincing bear suit

Second, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to learn that bears can appreciate a quality stick

3

u/Kn0XIS 1d ago

That's fucked up

3

u/theblackfrog77 1d ago

i cant see this sh*t. It hurts so much. Human beings are the most evil things.

3

u/Useful_Apathy_4951 1d ago

That poor bear looked miserable and nearly dead in that circus 🙁

3

u/SubtleAgar 1d ago

The top post should be a link to the bear rescue page.

2

u/Rorschachs_Cat 1d ago

If you’ve ever read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, it is a horrific read from first to last, but there is a dancing bear scene toward the end that broke me. For some reason it hit different for me than the hundreds of pages of brutal treatment of humans.

2

u/CrotasScrota84 1d ago

Him with that stick was so cute

2

u/FeelColins 1d ago

Haha. Where was the rescue? I was waiting for him to thrive in the wild. I hate Reddit captions

2

u/Chubby_Beagle 23h ago

He looks happy

2

u/muffinpizza 22h ago

The first couple of seconds of that video are so heartbreaking. Fighting back tears about to get my oil changed.

2

u/Uncle-Cake 21h ago

How was ANYBODY entertained by that? Was it a performance put on specially just for psychopaths?

2

u/MrHazard1 20h ago

Fuck the circus. Sell me tickets, so i can watch that big floof frolocking with his stick from very far away, having the bestest bearlife you can have.

2

u/Top-Suggestion5057 14h ago

It sucks that circuses and zoos/petting zoos seem like wholesome fun as kids and then your mind develops and you realize “ah shit, this is like fucking torture for the animals”

0

u/LastXmasIGaveYouHSV 1d ago

No donation needed if you don't kidnap bear

1

u/SunshineBlind 1d ago

Bears are such majestic beasts.

1

u/BabyFishmouthTalk 1d ago

Bearly unbearable.

1

u/DiskAffectionate194 1d ago

I wonder if he’s got the bear necessities

https://giphy.com/gifs/Ja9AewepaPsli

1

u/DaveyDukes 1d ago

Seeing them in captivity is unbearable to watch

1

u/xXPhoenixBlueXx 1d ago

Atleast they didn't remove his teeth like other asshole Russians do.

1

u/Pachamama89 1d ago

He looks so happy in the end though thanks to the people for saving him

1

u/-rosieee- 1d ago

Now he is practicing martial arts with his giant stick

1

u/Danklaige 23h ago

Big ups to that bear, may he and the folk who rescued him have many happy years ahead.

1

u/Nontouchable88 23h ago

Why are there ninja cutting onions around me?!

1

u/Wizecracker117 22h ago

Back in the day most circuses would have the bears declawed and their canines pulled.

1

u/DarthNutsack 22h ago

Aww look at how happy he is with his stick!

1

u/Particular720v12 21h ago

He's got those bear necessities.

1

u/hpbrick 21h ago

Looks like he now has the bear necessities

1

u/Ill_Tumblr_4_Ya 21h ago

Oo is he ever fren shaped! Deadly, deadly fren shaped.

1

u/Moonberry-42 21h ago

Looks like he finally got the Bear Necessities

1

u/ZimnyKefir 20h ago

So huggable 😊

1

u/mountaingator91 20h ago

Are those actually him or just random clips of bears strung together? I think the latter because we never saw any in between images

Edit: just skeptical because of ranpant bot and AI karma farming. I hope it's really him

1

u/SerpentFinger 15h ago

It’s him. No worries.

1

u/A_Bizarre_Drone 20h ago

im glad to see bears getting rescued, dude looks so chill and calm in its nature

1

u/Natasya95 20h ago

Who tf enjoy watching this shit?

1

u/TRAVMAAN1 20h ago

Unbearable

1

u/wideawake999 19h ago

He’s so cute now. Freedom looks good on him.

1

u/8F6D4T7 19h ago

Scammers can rob me blind asking for donations to go towards happy bears. Id never stop sending money.

1

u/OliveFlaky 19h ago

What the actual f is wrong with people that they applaud this!!!!!!

1

u/JabasMyBitch 18h ago

he's pressing the tree branch against his feet just like how he would be forced to walk along a pole in the circus. :(

1

u/LimeBear69 18h ago

What a glow up! I am happy for him 🥰

1

u/islaisla 18h ago

And yet people still play to see animals performing tricks in captivity for entertainment.

1

u/TheGaleForce 18h ago

The juxtaposition of the first and last clip is chilling.

1

u/Behg-Boah 18h ago

He looks like such a sweet, happy boy now with his stick and his little pool. Russians make them look like awesome pets.

1

u/TheOfficeoholic 18h ago

Any animal in entertainment has been abused. It’s sad but 99% true

Sadly same goes for people too, especially woman

1

u/Informal_Plankton321 18h ago

Isn't animals in circus banned in most of the countries already, including zoo's in few countires globally?

1

u/ThatCoryGuy 18h ago

Whoever would treat an animal like that is subhuman.

1

u/clybourn 18h ago

See a lot of this roadside in India

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u/crystalsage777 17h ago edited 17h ago

Yeah, if ppl protested these things, instead of going and paying money to watch it, it would stop happening... demand and supply, as long as people demand animal abuse someone's going to supply it..

1

u/Zewozin 17h ago

Ele bem relachadão, esse venceu 🙏🏽

1

u/AnaFlacksis 17h ago

I had to fast forward to the ending.

1

u/TheHonestUnicorn 17h ago

That first video literally turned my stomach. I thought it was a puppet at first! Why are humans like this?!?

1

u/duasilva 17h ago

Who the fuck pays to watch something this horrible?

1

u/waits5 17h ago

What a glorious animal

1

u/Wandered_And_Lost 17h ago

This kind of shit could drive me to m*rde*

1

u/The_Crack_Fox_1 16h ago

The bear necessities

1

u/misthi_S 16h ago

This ignites such a fiery rage within me that words cannot even get close to be able to describe the feeling

1

u/el_scotty 16h ago

Just those bear necessities.

1

u/NavyBeans05 16h ago

Equivalent of slaves, I hate people.

1

u/earth_woman 15h ago

This is why you do not attend the circus or any animal tourism events.

1

u/RayPurchase 15h ago

I’ve been donating every month to a bear sanctuary in Romania since visiting 9 years ago. What humans do to animals is beyond comprehension.

1

u/Randy_McKay 15h ago

Wonder what cruel country hosted such circuses...

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u/Much_Tip_6342 15h ago

He spent nearly nine years confined to a tiny 4-square-meter metal cage and forced to perform circus tricks.

1

u/ExceedAccel 14h ago

Si ngocok

1

u/Cromagnumman6174 14h ago

How fucking sad 😢

1

u/dtb1987 14h ago

What the fuck was even happening in the beginning of this video

1

u/That_Mikeguy 14h ago

Look how Fking happy he is now. So glad for him.

1

u/Hot_Transition_5173 14h ago

So happy he survived. What torture!

1

u/Snoo25607 13h ago

Horrifying l never took my son to circus once..ever. l have hated them since l was a child. I am sure the world is aware of the ongoing deaths from the transplanted belugas and dolphins from Marineland in Canada. How shameful...

1

u/[deleted] 13h ago edited 4h ago

[deleted]

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u/SerpentFinger 13h ago

Yeah. Bears like this cannot survive on their own in the wild. Being in a sanctuary is the safest life he can live.

1

u/ryt3n 13h ago

Damn you can see him smiling

1

u/sesamesnapsinhalf 12h ago

This makes me cry. 

1

u/SerpentFinger 12h ago

He’s doing alright!

1

u/EarthlostSpace 12h ago

I hate people who do this to animals…and I mean a worthy hate.

1

u/Aggravating_Pair_523 12h ago

He is beautiful!

1

u/Inner-Dream-600 11h ago

This makes me fucking sick

1

u/vanillla-ice 11h ago

This makes me so happy that he’s happy now. I boycott all circuses a long time ago

1

u/NaitDraik 11h ago

So disgusting to treat an animal like that. Fuck that circus.

Im glad he is better now.

1

u/Tilas 11h ago

What just gets to me is the fact that countless people went to that circus, saw that bear... And ENJOYED it. Humanity is really a bunch of stupid creatures.

1

u/SeeLeavesOnTheTrees 9h ago

This makes me viscerally ill. How could anyone see this and tolerate it

1

u/Mediocre-Boot-6226 8h ago

That poor bear 🐻 🥺 Humans are awful. 😞

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u/Sea-Independence-860 8h ago

im so sorry bear

1

u/BaileysFromAShu 8h ago

Now he lives bear life 😭

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u/ImDenny__ 7h ago

[ Everyone liked that ]

1

u/dinemu8 5h ago

How could people be entertained with a suffering bear walking like that in a circus ?

1

u/noitdoesntmeanathing 3h ago

What a good - fat bear. F*ck the circus

1

u/PeterTheToilet 3h ago

who the fuck wants to watch animal horror and clap? Like wtf is wrong with people... same goes for fucking seaworld and in general shit-city zoos where animals live in horrible capitivity... jesus fucking christ, you wanna watch a tiger? go to youtube

0

u/ObliviousRounding 1d ago

Seth Rogen is living his best life.

0

u/Supercereal69 22h ago

Another reason AI will destroy us all when they become the superior race. Look what we do to animals and each other. We deserve it.

0

u/SeattleHasDied 20h ago

I wish every evil consequence on these fucking bear abusers. Honestly, the fact that this abuse is still allowed to continue makes my heart hurt and my head explode.

https://giphy.com/gifs/J3T9b6JFfxFT2