California Sanctuary Gives Permanent Home to Freed Bear Who Had Been Abused

Lawsuit Against N.C. Roadside Zoo Means Bear Who Languished for Years on Cement in Chain-Link Kennel Will Have New Life at PAWS' ARK 2000

For Immediate Release:
August 27, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

San Andreas, Calif. -- A bear named Ben—who had been confined to a barren concrete cage at Jambbas Ranch Tours, a roadside zoo based in Fayetteville, N.C., for six years—is now foraging, bathing, and relaxing under the trees at his new permanent home at the Performing Animal Welfare Society's (PAWS) ARK 2000 sanctuary in California. A North Carolina district judge's order gave permanent custody to PAWS in a lawsuit brought by concerned North Carolina citizens represented by PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and local counsel, who argued that Ben had been kept in solitary confinement in a chain-link kennel—illegal conditions that denied Ben everything that is natural and important to bears. The judge's order notes that forcing Ben to live in this cage was "the functional equivalent to forcing a human to live in a small closet" and that Jambbas caused Ben "unjustifiable physical and psychological suffering."

Ben was flown to San Andreas via a FedEx climate-controlled plane on August 9 after the judge issued a preliminary order. He is thriving at ARK 2000 in a vast natural habitat—which was paid for by TV legend and former The Price Is Right host Bob Barker and is measured in acres, not feet—where he bathes in his own pool, rubs his back on trees, and sleeps soundly in his large straw nest under oak trees.

"PAWS is giving Ben the chance to be a bear again, with plenty of space for him to roam, play, and forage," says General Counsel to PETA Jeffrey S. Kerr. "Despite years of neglect and abuse, Ben has already started to thrive in his new home—proof of the good that sanctuaries such as ARK 2000 can accomplish."

ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells says, "Ben's treatment was cruel and illegal under North Carolina law, and the court stopped it, plain and simple. We couldn't be happier to see Ben retiring to California." Adds local counsel Gavin Parsons, "We're very pleased with the court's order and wish Ben well in his new home."

For more information, please visit PETA.org or ALDF.org.