Take Action Against Bear Country U.S.A. for Terrorizing Wolves and Bears!

Bear Country U.S.A. is a bear- and wolf-breeding tourist trap. A PETA undercover investigation exposed staff describing using abusive methods to scare protective mothers away from their dens long enough for workers to steal their babies. After surviving this trauma, trembling 4-week-old wolf pups huddled together and refused to eat.

Black bear cubs naturally spend up to two years by their mother’s side, a crucial time for them to develop and learn from her, yet Bear Country U.S.A. ripped infant cubs away from their mothers at just 8 weeks old. During a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection prompted by evidence from our investigation, a Bear Country U.S.A. representative admitted that the roadside zoo has used fireworks to separate the protective mother bears from their cubs.

Staff explained to the PETA investigator that they ran chainsaws without the chain to drown out the newborns’ wailing as workers shuffled them into a van. Workers then kept the cubs—many of whom were reluctant to eat and cried or otherwise struggled when held—in cardboard boxes for weeks. As they grew, a supervisor told PETA’s investigator to “kick them down” and to “pinch their nose as hard as you f***ing can” if they bit. The USDA inspectors emphasized that these practices “can cause trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm, or unnecessary discomfort” to the bears, and they cited Bear Country U.S.A. for these “aggressive” handling practices as one of multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Companies that have learned about this roadside zoo’s true nature as a greedy terrorizer of wild animals are cutting ties with it. However, others continue to callously promote the facility and disregard the animals’ suffering, which is an example of speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

Urge Bear Country U.S.A.’s remaining promoters not to support the roadside zoo in the future.