Rejoice, animal lovers. The last two known “dancing bears” in Nepal have been rescued from lives of sadness and pain.

Bears become “dancing bears” after would-be showmen capture or purchase cubs. Those young bears are stolen from their mothers, and from that point forward, they’ll never again live as a wild bear should.

Instead, their captors remove their teeth and shove a hot rod through their noses, piercing it so a chain or rope can be run through the hole. The owners tug on that tether to control the bears throughout their entire lives. Using fear and pain, the captors train the cubs to dance on their hind legs for the enjoyment of paying customers.