DFW-AREA EXOTIC ANIMAL SANCTUARY TO
NURTURE AND CARE
FOR 11 ABUSED, NEGLECTED NORTH CAROLINA
BEARS
Abused bears to find recovery in Texas’
International Exotic Animal Sanctuary’s Emotional Enrichment Program; DFW now
home to Texas’ largest collection of bears
BOYD, TX (July 9, 2013) – The International Exotic Animal Sanctuary (IEAS)
announced today that 11 bears from North Carolina will now call IEAS home; two
Asian species (also called Moon) bears, six black bears
and three grizzly bears. Until now, the bears have lived in concrete pits at a roadside
zoo in North Carolina. As a result of continued complaints by People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over many years, and a 2012 PETA undercover investigation of the pits, the bears’ former owner was cited
repeatedly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to meet minimal
federal standards established in the Animal Welfare Act, and had its exhibitor
license suspended in January. The bears will recover from that experience under the
direction of the IEAS resident Animal Behaviorist with both Behavior and Emotional Enrichment Programs designed to care for
the animals’ physical and emotional needs. The bears (known as the Cherokee
bears) have been featured on internet campaigns for years by celebrities such
as the host of the Price Is Right, Bob Barker, seeking to save these animals
from their existence in pits of concrete, seeing only the sky directly above.
With the bears’ relocation,
IEAS now houses the largest population of bears in Texas, and more species of bears
than any other facility. IEAS is also the only facility in Texas housing Asian
species of “Moon” bears, named for the white crescent moon shape in their fur
across their black chests.
“We’re excited that these 11
bears are now free to live like bears here at International Exotic Animal
Sanctuary. There is a subculture in the animal world that does things that are either
frowned upon, inappropriate or actually illegal. Some places offer photo shoots
at shopping malls and other events, allowing people (including children) to
have their photo taken with a young cub for a fee such as $20 or more. Roadside
zoos and attractions at truck stops and country stores use the bears to attract
customers. As the bears grow, they become too large to be used profitably and
that is when their lives are really in danger,” said Louis Dorfman, Animal
Behaviorist and Chairman of the Board for International Exotic Animal Sanctuary. “We will make sure that they are not only physically
well cared for, but that their emotional needs are met as well. But getting the
bears to IEAS was just the beginning. The real work begins now and we need your
help. It’s only $125 per month to
adopt one of these bears and that pays for their well-balanced meals, cleaning
out their habitats, giving them fresh water every day, putting hay in their
caves and helps with medical care. All assistance is appreciated.”
“The International Exotic Animal Sanctuary will provide
these bears with the best quality of life possible in large, naturalistic
habitats. It’s a dramatic contrast from the life they knew before,” said Richard Gilbreth, Executive Director of
International Exotic Animal Sanctuary. “Thanks to dedicated employees,
contractors and volunteers working seven days a week, each habitat is over one
acre in size and provides the resident bears with a natural home, complete with
innumerable trees to climb, brush and thickets to venture through, and even
ponds and water tubs where they can cool off. The team placed 2.5 miles of
piping and put up 1.5 miles of fencing to prepare space for these bears and
they are responding well. They are already forming companionships with each
other. While bears are considered
solitary animals in nature, at the sanctuary they play with each other frequently
and truly enjoy the company of their companions and human caregivers. In the
summer months, bears like lying in the large stock tanks filled with water and
enjoy scouring the woods and thickets they have present in their habitat to
find treasures like twigs, leaves, small insects and even grasshoppers. Their
diets are very similar to that of humans. They enjoy meat, fish, and all
varieties of fruit and vegetables, with some of their favorites being avocados,
grapes, peanuts and watermelon.”
“PETA fought for many years to free these bears from the barren
concrete pits and a non-life that drove them mad and deprived them of
everything natural and nice,” said PETA Foundation Director of
Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. “We are so happy that they can finally just be
bears in a caring, permanent home at International Exotic Animal Sanctuary.
What a wonderful moment for these bears!”
Care for the bears is paid
for by donations. It costs approximately $125 per month to adopt a bear and ensure
it has adequate food, a healthy living environment and medical care. To learn
more about each individual bear and to donate to the International Exotic
Animal Sanctuary, please visit www.bigcat.org/donate. To adopt an animal, please visit www.bigcat.org/adopt-an-animal. All donations are 100% tax deductable.
About International Exotic Animal Sanctuary
The International Exotic
Animal Sanctuary is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited
animal sanctuary in the United States. The purpose and goal of IEAS is to
provide a permanent sanctuary for exotic animals that have been abused,
abandoned, neglected, confiscated, or previously owned by people unwilling or
unable to provide for these magnificent beings. IEAS gives the resident animals
the best quality of life we can give them in captivity through our Emotional
Enrichment Program, which deals with the emotional well-being of each
individual animal and its individual emotional needs. We do this to fill the
need to reduce stress and agitation, give each animals the best life it can
have in captivity, and by understanding what is required to achieve that goal.
Currently, 46 felines, 2 coatis and 28 bears call IEAS home, with spacious
habitats, pools and houses. To learn more about IEAS, or to make a donation,
adopt an animal, please visit www.bigcat.org.
Media Contact:
Kristin Welsh
214.871.7723
kristin@allynmedia.com
The eleven bears who were just rescued from bear pits in North Carolina and brought to IEAS are not the only new faces at the Sanctuary! IEAS just became home to two other new residents, including a new species for the Sanctuary! We are now home to another white-nosed coatimundi (just like Mork and Mindy) and a ring tailed lemur! 
