The Fatal Consequences of Cub-Petting Operations

Roadside zoos that exploit bear cubs for photo ops have blood on their hands—and it’s not just that of the animals they exploit. Incidents in which humans directly engage with wildlife unveil a deeply disturbing revelation: Even beyond the confines of greedy roadside zoos and cub-petting operations, bears’ lives are threatened by dangerous human interactions.

By using vulnerable bears in cruel public encounters—like cub-petting, bottle-feeding, and photo ops—tourist traps like Yellowstone Bear World and Oswald’s Bear Ranch normalize the speciesist belief that other animals exist for humans’ amusement.

Cub-Petting Operations Harm Bears Directly

At Yellowstone Bear World, Oswald’s Bear Ranch, Cherokee Bear Zoo, and other similar seedy operations, guests pay to pet, feed, and take photos with vulnerable bear cubs who have been separated from their protective mothers. In nature, bear cubs would be in their mother’s nurturing care for up to two years. But in the cub-petting industry, babies often don’t even get more than a few weeks with their mothers.

Premature maternal separation, constant confinement, and forced interactions with humans often cause bears extreme psychological distress. Many of them pace in their enclosures, cry out, exhibit displaced suckling behavior, toss their head, or suffer from other long-term developmental issues that hinder their ability to cope with their captive environment and increase their susceptibility to disease.

Cub-Petting Interactions Lead To Attempts to Interact with Bears in Nature

Normalizing direct-contact encounters with wildlife can have dangerous and even fatal consequences for both humans and animals.

August 21, 2025:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials had to dart and capture three bear cubs who had been separated from their mother and harassed on a wild chase through the city of Durango. The bears were dramatically underweight, suggesting they were desperate for food and had not been with their mother for some time. Colorado Parks and Wildlife noted in a social media post that the most “alarming” part of the whole situation was how people chased the bear cubs through town for a photo op, separating them from each other and putting them in immediate danger. In this case, all three bears were eventually captured and will get a second chance in nature after a short stint at a rehabilitation center. However, officials also noted that cubs getting into homes and businesses is “greatly concerning.” If the cubs learn there is food in these locations, it “substantially increases the likelihood of it happening again or conflict worsening from there.”

August 12, 2024:

According to a WKTV report, a mother bear and her two cubs were euthanized in Old Forge, New York, after humans attempted to interact with them. Local authorities were called to de-escalate the situation, but before they managed to arrive, tourists were described as having surrounded the mother bear and her cubs while the animals were crossing through the town. The crowd reportedly tried to feed, pet, and take pictures with the bears, who had climbed a tree.

After officials arrived on the scene, they decided to euthanize the mother bear and her cubs. Reportedly, the mother bear, understandably protective of her two offspring, started to show signs of aggression toward the crowd. Now all three bears are dead—all because some humans thought it was appropriate to harass them.

April 18, 2024:

A group of people were caught on video ripping two black bear cubs out of a tree for a selfie. Footage of the incident shows the bears struggling to get away while the group of instigators forcibly grab at them. In nature, it’s normal for mother bears to leave their babies in or under a “babysitter tree” while they forage for food, which is likely why the cubs were in the tree to begin with.

Wildlife officials arrived on the scene to find only one of the bears, who was drenched and cold. The cub was sent to a rehabilitation facility and will eventually be released back into nature, but due to humans’ irresponsible actions, she has been robbed of her natural right to develop alongside her mother.

April 2, 2024:

Wildlife officials had to euthanize a young black bear who was reportedly causing disturbances in the residential neighborhood of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Residents had reportedly been feeding the bear, who learned to consider the area a resource for food and became acclimated to humans.

According to officials, these direct-contact encounters with the bear created a public safety threat, as the bear reportedly began approaching humans on their porches and sleeping in front of residents’ front doors.

Take Action Against These Cub Petting Operations:

The organizations below are still profiting from bear cub interactions and promote images that make people think it is okay to touch, hold, or approach a bear cub. In reality, it causes significant harm to bears. Join thousands of PETA supporters in our effort to shut these practices down for good so these operations stop reinforcing the idea that wildlife can be a viral photo op.