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At Three Bears General Store, a deplorable roadside attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, bears are confined to a virtually barren concrete pit. They have nothing to do but pace back and forth and beg tourists for food. Multiple bears have already died in the pit, most likely as a result of the poor living conditions. They were deprived of the opportunity to feel soft earth beneath their feet, dig dens, and otherwise live as bears should.
This roadside hellhole just purchased two young North American black bears, who are now trapped in the concrete pit. They’re denied everything that’s natural and important to bears, such as the opportunity to climb, dig, forage, and explore vast terrain. They must be sent to an accredited sanctuary before it’s too late.
Three Bears has a lengthy history of animal welfare violations, including failing to provide animals with adequate veterinary care and clean drinking water. A bear named Katie was so overweight that she appeared to hardly move in her enclosure. Another bear was seen dragging her back leg, and others have been seen fighting. Obesity, foot injuries, and incompatibility are just a few of the issues bears have experienced while living solely in the concrete pit.
In 2014, PETA rescued two Himalayan black bears from a cramped cage in the residential backyard of Three Bears’ previous owner Bill DeLozier. They were transferred to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado and got the care that they desperately needed, but bears are still suffering at the roadside attraction. This exploitation is a form of speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and it must end.
Please join us in urging Three Bears to close the pit and send the bears to an accredited sanctuary where they could get the space and high-quality care that they need and deserve.