Please urge the NMFS to grant Lolita the same protections from harm and...
After a long and hard-fought battle by PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and concerned citizens, “Ben the Bear” has been rescued from filthy, cramped conditions at a North Carolina roadside zoo and will now live out the rest of his life at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), a beautiful wildlife sanctuary in northern California!
Before his relocation, Ben spent six long years imprisoned at Jambbas Ranch. Jambbas personnel looked at Ben as nothing more than “Attraction no. 2″ and locked him away in a small chain-link cage. Ben could never do anything that he wanted to do—whether it was eating when he wanted, playing, or running.
Ben’s world consisted of nothing more than a barren 12-foot-by-22-foot concrete floor surrounded by a chain-link fence, and all he had was a ball, some moldy stumps of wood, and a rusty water trough. He was fed dry dog food, which his “caretakers” dumped onto the same concrete floor where he urinated and defecated. His interaction with others was limited to being gawked at by passersby, listening to screaming children, and getting the occasional piece of bread tossed to him by a tourist.
Ben spent most of his waking hours pacing, a result of extreme deprivation and a sign of chronic distress. Two concerned citizens saw him and agreed to take action. With PETA’s help, they filed a cruelty-to-animals lawsuit. Their case was heard by Cumberland County Court District Judge Kimbrell Tucker, who saw that the evidence was clear: Ben’s needs were “not being met dietarily, veterinarily, and, most importantly, environmentally.” The judge stated that Ben’s enclosure did “not meet the requirements … for this bear’s health and well-being.” She issued a preliminary injunction that allowed PETA to transfer Ben to California pending her final ruling in the case. A happy day!
When Ben explored his vast new, spacious habitat for the first time, he pawed at and smelled the ground—likely the first time he had ever felt grass beneath his paws. Within minutes, he was already bathing and splashing in his own pool, ridding his body of grime for the first time in years. That night, he slept soundly on a bed of straw.
On August 27, the court again ruled in Ben’s favor, this time issuing a final order, and the sanctuary is now his permanent home! Ben will continue to bask in the sun, roll in the grass, splash in the water, and for the first time, Ben gets to live like a bear.
Share Ben’s story with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter now, and urge them never to buy a ticket to a zoo or circus where animals like Ben are imprisoned.
Please urge the NMFS to grant Lolita the same protections from harm and...
63 days ago
0
Whats next, saving the rest of the animals & killing the staff?
83 days ago
0
That’s AWESOME!! <3. So happy for Ben.
203 days ago
1
>.< SO Awesome ♥
203 days ago
1
>.< SO awesome. ♥
204 days ago
1
This made my Day!
216 days ago
1
Go peta2
219 days ago
1
one less animal suffering
221 days ago
1
226 days ago
1
I love this!!!
228 days ago
1
This is touching…
234 days ago
1
Ohhhh DREAMS DO COME TRUE! (: <3
237 days ago
1
OMG I cried when he started splashing!!! I’m so glad he is better now!!!! <3
238 days ago
1
we need to be the the voices of these animals!
241 days ago
1
this is fantastic! another step towards a more compassionate world
244 days ago
1
All i can say is UGH, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???
241 days ago
1
I agree with Tylese!!!!! And Lisette YES WE MUST FIGHT AND STAND TOGTHER TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ANIMAL-KIND!!!!<3,
248 days ago
1
Just made my day! 6 long years, but all of us helped in a small way to get him free. Makes me proud
252 days ago
2
Together we can change the world and make it a better place for animals….
261 days ago
1
i just had to send this to my grandmother she lives in North Carolina and she knows that I support PETA hmm…I wonder if she knew about this and didn’t tell me
262 days ago
3
YAY That gorgeous bear deserved this sanctuary.