May 27, 2008 4:54 pm US/Mountain
Wild Animal Refuge Takes In 15 New Rescued Bears
KEENESBURG, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Fifteen black bears rescued from two separate places in Ohio are now living in Colorado.
The bears arrived Saturday at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg. They were hauled back in cages from two shelters in Ohio that were declared unfit and unsafe.
"This is the biggest single rescue we've done," Pat Craig with Wild Animal Refuge said. "There were two groups of bears up there. There were eight that were being kept in one facility that was being shut down by the USDA because of the terrible condition of the animals, and cages that were a danger to the public because they were falling apart."
A separate group of seven bears was rescued in another Ohio town where a roadside stand owner no longer wanted them. They had been confined to cages and enclosures too small for a dog.
The bears now have a new 5-acre habitat with underground dens and swimming tanks.
"They were just having the time of their lives," Toni Scalera with the sanctuary said. "It was wonderful .... they'd never been on grass, and they'd lift their paws up like a cat in the snow."
The bears will need about 8,000 pounds of food every week. That's more than $200,000 a year's worth.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary also takes care of wolves and 110 big cats all from donations.
Additional Information
For information on how to help the Wild Animal Sanctuary, go to a
special section of the organization's Web site.
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