Recently a brown bear and its cubs were tortured to death in Iran. Here is the video (warning: very graphic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_DRNObr23Y The brown bear is distributed across the north and west of Iran, mainly within The Alborz and Zagors Mountains. The Alborz Mountains holds a larger population of bears with an estimated population of 500-1000 bears. The present population is decreasing in Iran, mostly due to numerous conflicts between bears and the human population across its range. It is thought that several dozen bears are killed by poachers every year to stop these conflicts, and also by poachers trading in bear products. These are endangered animals and must be protected, furthermore, animal cruelty and abuse is WRONG and should be stopped. Those who commit such heinous crimes must be persecuted and punished.