A woman has raised £6,000 to rescue Indian dancing bears and rehouse them in a sanctuary.
Phillipa Alexander, 33, of Ditchling Rise, Brighton, organised an internet auction to collect money for the bears.
She came up with the idea after seeing the horrific way bears are treated in India. Their teeth are knocked out, claws ripped off and rings forced through their sensitive noses.
For the rest of their lives they are dragged out along the roadside and whipped to look as if they are dancing for passing cars.
Miss Alexander teamed up with International Animal Rescue (IAR) to help rescue as many bears as possible.
IAR has bought 100 acres of land in southern India where it will build a sanctuary for the bears which can no longer live in the wild.
Miss Alexander's work will pay to save three bears. She said: "I was expecting to make about two or three thousand so this is fantastic."
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