PETA has petitioned the USDA to shut down a bear park in Cherokee. It is one of the bear parks game show host Bob Barker recently publicly advocated closing. PETA’s actions follow a recent incident described by park owner Kole Clapsaddle:
The young lady stuck her finger in the fence where she wasn’t supposed to. It was resolved with a band-aid.
The Sylva Herald reports PETA representative Lisa Wathne’s position as follows:
‘The conditions for the bears and other animals at these parks are archaic,’ Wathne said. ‘The bears live in concrete pits with nothing to stimulate them in any way.’
Food thrown from visitors encourages the bears to beg, causes aggression between bears and leads to obesity, Wathne said.
‘There is no semblance of a natural life for these animals, and they’re suffering horribly,’ Wathne said.
