Not true, at all.
"With soft, toothless gums to defend himself, he's tethered in terror and then the cruel sport of bear baiting begins"
Sorry, but have you seen bears? They are fucking massive, and can knock your head off with one quick swipe. If a bear manages to get itself caught it can't really be that good at being a bear.
I don't think I'll mind if all the bears in the world go extinct because of bear baiting. Anything that decreases my chances of getting ambushed by a grizzly whilst I'm strolling through the forest gets a solid thumbs up from me.
Maybe the threat of bear baiting will finally stop that Yogi cunt from stealing my picker-nick basket.