Bears in Captivity: The Overlooked Animals
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

PAWS Performing Animal Welfare Society
February 2018

While the public is becoming more sensitive to the exploitation of captive big cats and elephants, they are not as aware of the problems bears face in captivity, where they often are deprived of all that is natural and important to them.

An estimated 3,000 bears are confined in the U.S., with over 1,000 of them in non-accredited or zoo-like facilities – though there is no way to know the exact number.

Bear Ben
Ben

Sampson, a black bear, was once was displayed in a dilapidated drive-through roadside attraction that had been cited for numerous violations of animal welfare law.

Boo Boo was a “pet” who became too unsafe to handle as he grew. His owners put a chain around his neck and left it there. The chain became embedded deep in Boo Boo’s neck and it wasn’t until after he was rescued that it was surgically removed.

Winston, Boo Boo’s enclosure-mate, came from a breeding compound where he was destined to become someone’s pet.

Ben (pictured above and below at ARK 2000) was confined at a roadside zoo in a barren 12x22 foot cage made of concrete and chain link. He was fed dry dog food that was dumped onto the same floor where he urinated and defecated.

Bear Ben
Ben

Today, these bears are safe and cared for at PAWS’ ARK 2000 sanctuary, in natural enclosures filled with grass, bushes, trees and a pool. They can engage in activities that are meaningful to them: digging, exploring, creating nest areas to sleep in, and foraging for food, including acorns that fall from shady oak trees.

Other captive bears are not so fortunate. While the public is becoming more sensitive to the exploitation of captive big cats and elephants, they are not as aware of the problems bears face in captivity, where they often are deprived of all that is natural and important to them.

In nature, bears spend most of their time foraging for food across vast areas, which keeps their bodies fit and their keen minds challenged. Black and brown bears are opportunistic omnivores who consume a wide variety of seasonally available foods such as fruits, berries, herbs, flowers, insects, grubs, vegetation, fish and carrion. In captivity, things are very different.

Roadside zoos and “bear pits”

Captive facilities such as roadside zoos and “bear pits” often confine bears in small and filthy enclosures, with inadequate diets and care. This leads to a range of problems, including obesity due to inactivity, foot and joint problems caused by standing and walking on hard surfaces like concrete, and abnormal repetitive behaviors such as pacing and head rolling.

bear pit
Bear in "bear pit"

Bear pits, in which the animals are confined in deep concrete enclosures, are a form of sensory deprivation. All the bears can see are concrete walls and humans (who they see as predators) hovering above them, creating a continuous source of stress. Tourists who visit bear pits can buy food to throw to the animals, who unnaturally beg or repetitively pace. Although bears’ nutritional demands change with the seasons, these facilities often ignore their important dietary needs. In roadside attractions, bears may be denied shelter from inclement weather or the opportunity to retreat to a den in the winter.

Bear cub petting

Roadside zoos may offer sessions where visitors pay to handle or pose for pictures with young bears. Cubs are separated from their mothers at a young age, even though they would naturally spend about 17 months together. This deprives cubs of their mother’s milk and antibodies that are crucial to their developing immune systems, leaving them susceptible to disease. Photo and play sessions expose cubs to excessive handling, injury and stress. Facility staff may punch, violently shake or abuse young bears who "act up."

Bear Cub
Bear cub petting

Black bear cubs weigh about 20 pounds at four months of age. By eight months, they can weigh 50 to 75 pounds. Bears have non-retractable claws, so even a young bear can cause injury to children and adults handling them. Once a cub is too old to be handled by the public, they are no longer of use and may be sold to other zoos, private owners, or used to produce more cubs. Unwanted bears may be slaughtered for the exotic meat market or the illegal trade in bear parts.

Bear shows and the pet trade

Some county and state fairs still feature cruel and archaic bear shows. Chained by the neck, bears are forced to perform ridiculous tricks such as balancing on balls, riding on scooters and walking on their front legs. Just like a circus, the bears are hauled around in dirty trucks, intensively confined, and subjected to violent training methods. Some roadside attractions also feature bear shows.

The private ownership of bears is inhumane for the animals and unsafe for people. “Pet” bears are often confined in tiny backyard cages where they will spend their lives in misery, deprived of all that is natural to them. Even bears who were captive-born and bottle-raised remain wild and are capable of killing people and inflicting serious injuries.

What you can do

An estimated 3,000 bears are confined in the U.S., with over 1,000 of them in non-accredited or zoo-like facilities – though there is no way to know the exact number. You can help these highly intelligent and active animals by:

  • Avoiding roadside attractions that exploit bears and bear cubs, and urging your friends to do the same.
  • Never take a selfie with a bear cub or any other wild animal.
  • Don’t be fooled by places that call themselves sanctuaries. A true sanctuary would never offer cubs for petting or photos, and they don’t buy, breed or make their animals perform.

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