Joaquin Phoenix Speaks Out to Help Twin Bears Suffering Now at Tennessee Roadside Zoo

For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2025

Contact:
Allyson Spellman 202-483-7382

This morning, actor and outspoken animal advocate Joaquin Phoenix teamed up with PETA to send an urgent letter to Daniel DeLozier, owner of the Three Bears General Store roadside zoo in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, asking him to immediately release two-year-old twin bears Daisy and River (who shares a name with Phoenix’s son and late brother) to a sanctuary. In the letter, Phoenix urges DeLozier to let the bears—who are held in a barren concrete pit where visitors gawk at them—each finally enjoy a real life. River and Daisy were purchased from a shady exotic animal dealer in Michigan at an age when, in nature, they would still be with their mother.

“It’s obvious that you care deeply about the people who visit your store, and I’m asking you to extend the same compassion to River and Daisy, who are currently suffering in an unnatural environment—which will likely result in illness and death,” writes Phoenix.

Bears love to climb and explore, develop strong attachments to other bears, and have been seen maneuvering tree stumps to gather out-of-reach food and using rocks as “exfoliators” to shed excess fur. But bears at Three Bears General Store have food thrown at them by gawking visitors and are held in a barren concrete pit. Roadside zoos take bears just like River and Daisy away from their distraught mothers as cubs and exploit them for attractions.

PETA also made a video about Phoenix’s letter that includes recent footage taken of Daisy and River, which PETA will run in Pigeon Forge.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—gave Three Bears General Store its “Grinch of the Year” award last Christmas.

PETA points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free vegan starter kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Phoenix’s letter to DeLozier follows.

Daniel DeLozier

Owner

Three Bears General Store

Dear Mr. DeLozier,

In the spirit of your core values at Three Bears, where everyone is treated like family, I’m asking you to reconsider your decision to exhibit live bears in a concrete enclosure at your store, and instead, send River and Daisy to an accredited sanctuary. This would allow them to experience the joy of their natural way of life, where they could roam freely across vast distances, socialize with other bears, forage, play, and hibernate—all of which are necessary for their well-being. It’s obvious that you care deeply about the people who visit your store, and I’m asking you to extend the same compassion to River and Daisy, who are currently suffering in an unnatural environment—which will likely result in illness and death. Giving River and Daisy this new lease on life would be an incredible way to honor the store’s namesake, as well as your legacy.

Are you willing to do what’s best for River and Daisy, and send them to a sanctuary?

Sincerely,

Joaquin Phoenix