These bears are always brought to Jim as orphans. He raises them as you would any pet. They don't know anything about the wild or forraging for food. Next you will be wantint to let the people out of those little rooms with bars at the prison next. I go past that every day and it makes me sad too! If Jim would only let those poor bears out, surely some hunter could kill them quickly.

I don't think Jim should let them out into the wild, thats a very ignorant comment, obviously they would not survive. I think they should be in an area that is more pleasant to a bear, maybe a refuge or even a place where they can enjoy some vegetation. A little cage is not how I keep my animals, that is not they way any "pet" should be raised. Thanks for your comment Brian, it was really helpful.

This Jim sounds like a real gem. It's selfish and actually quite pathetic to teach ignorant parents (and their kids) to "look at the cute bear" ..lying on concrete in the sun all depressed. There is nothing legitimate about this display.

If these bears were orphaned than its obvious someone has to take care of them - but wouldnt you like to see them in a setting that is similar to their natural habitat? How about taking them to a zoo? A "REAL" zoo. How fun is it to stare at these poor bears who are depressed and have only a little ball to try and give their poor lives some meaning?

For Brian (above): would you like to place orphaned children in a small cage with a cement floor with nothing to play with but a ball and let people stare at them all day just for entertainment?

You're an ignorant moron if you think these bears are ok in this cage. They may be wild animals but as you said they are orphaned and do not and would not know how to take care of themselves. How do you think they learn? FROM THEIR MOTHERS!!! You place a human being in a place like that you will get the same reaction. And to compare a criminal to a poor animal who was put in a cage because they lost their mother??? What kind of analogy is that? Its about the most outrageous thing i have ever heard. And if you think that taking care of "a pet" is by putting them in a cage with nothing surrounding them but bars and a cement floor, you are more of an idiot than i thought! How many pets do you own? None - from the sounds of it. Maybe you should think before you share your views...

Felt compelled to spread the word, Sarah!

You people are nuts. You stirred this up 2 years ago with the same type comments. I think you people need to go there with checkbook in hand and I'll bet Jim can make any arrangement for these bears you nut jobs want to pay for! So humans in prison should suffer worse that two bears?The SPCA and the Game Commission disagree. YOUR NUTS!!!

Brian, First of all it's 'YOU'RE NUTS!!!' not 'YOUR NUTS'. Haha. And second of all..YES. People in prison should suffer. Thanks for your nuts :)

Brian said:

"I think you people need to go there with checkbook in hand and I'll bet Jim can make any arrangement for these bears you nut jobs want to pay for!"

So you think people who are cruel to animals should profit from it? Brian, Jim had the money to build the cage and acquire the bears.. so he could make even more money. I think he can handle addressing the issue. I hope this damages his business.

I don't know much about bears, but I know I hate seein' them there at Cones and Cubs. And I also know that Brian needs a bit more education before he goes spoutin' off again.

So humans in prison should suffer worse that two bears?

Brian - what kind of question is this??? You think someone who murdered another person should be treated better than an animal put into a cage for no reason??? Or maybe you are in prison and arent enjoying it very much. Oh i know maybe your daddy's in prison and its ruined your life! Whatever the factor, the bottom line is the ones in prison had a choice - they chose to commit a crime and got sentenced for it. These poor bears never had a choice. They were taken out of their natural surroundings to be thrown in to a cage so some idiots could throw pellets of food at them. Well maybe we should throw you in the cage! You and your ignorance and closed minded views. You should be happy there. Or at least as happy as those poor bears are. You are nothing but a low life jerk with no morals and no respect for nature.

By the way - I'd like to see some proof that these animals were actually orphaned. How do we know they werent pulled away from their homes to be thrown in this cage. Oh wait Brian said so...it must be the truth...idiot

I read through these comments and wonder.... when we as humans will relate to eachothers needs and find empathy for one another, this is when situations like this will be something from the past. Brian- im wondering what happened to you as a child that left you without an empethetic heart, is it that hard to understand the situation these bears are in. Second.. i was alittle taken back by your comment GMB " People in prison should suffer" im missing your empethetic side also. These poor bears lost a mother or ripped from thier natural home which ever one, and the only viable situation that was thought of was to relocate them to a man who owns an Ice cream and golf course business hmmmm MAKES YOU WONDER ! I presume that there were other options, but this man "Jim" was willing to take them in when nobody else jumped to the rescue. Obviously, Jim needs some education in the field of Bear husbandry. Why has no one come to their rescue, where ARE THE ENVIROMENTALISTS?? Zoo's , Penn state , PETA ?? im perplexed at this whole situation...

Still, aside from everyones own morals, these bears are stuck inside thier 4 walls of chainlink " who will help them " lets put our heads together and make a change that will give them a chance at laying in the grass once again.

Brian, yes, the "SPCA and Game Commission disagree" with you. Been there, done that. Also, people are entitled to their opinions as you well know, so if all these 'nut jobs' are voicing theirs, well, I guess you'll just have to deal with it. Enough of my time has been wasted on helping you try to understand my viewpoint, I'm sorry if you've been offened, but I have to go and help some bears now, who are a lot more patient and understanding than you are.

Mark, great points. You're right. I should have more empathy. Thanks for a very productive post and yes, we can help make this wrong a right.

I think that the bears, orphaned or not, should have been left in their natural habitat. Jim "rescued" them to a miserable life. I would rather see them not make it in the wild without their mother than live the life they are living. Leave nature to nature.

This has been and i assume always will be a huge problem. People tend to mess around with nature and all we do is mess it up. Yes we have good intentions, but nature was set up long before we got here.

As for these bears, has anyone tried to contact "Jim" and see what his take is on all of this? Perhaps he truly feels he was doing good. Maybe if people helped educate him on the situation that could be a start.

If he refuses to make any changes then motions need to be started to get the bears out of that situation.

Also, just a final point of view, It should be "very" hard to aquire wild animals for these kinds of purposes. I find it funny that it takes more work to apply for a House permit or a deck permit than it does to obtain wild bears (who can pose a threat to the public)

I don't think "Jim" is the real problem here, i think it's the laws of PA and other states. Jim is only doing what is allowed by law, so the law it what we really need to work on changing...

ok that was longer than i planned.. lol

Sarah,

You said you have contacted the SPCA.. What did they say? Are they working on this? Did they offer any advice on how to change this situation?

To "Big Daddy":

I have contacted the state rep for PA, the gov., the sentator, SPCA, AWA, APHIS, PAWS, PETA, and a couple refuges. I got the "RUN AROUND," big time. If these organizations are out for the animals, then please get out and send someone to inspect the area a second time. Thats all I ask for. Tell me how this is okay! I've read through, numerous times, the living conditions that are supposed to apply to "exhibits" this exhibit is not even close to being regulation! What is going on here? We are not living in 1955. And I won't stop until it's taken care of. About Jim, no I have not contacted him as that advice was given to me before. I agree that he may think he is doing a good thing, lack of education on the topic could be the major issue here. You're right, I should ask him, thank you.

Sarah,

I can't believe out of all those places not one of them would help in anyway...

You are on the right track, take this matter as public as you can and then also make sure you state all the same people you have contacted and how they have blow you off.
These people do not like bad publicty and will likely have a change of
attitude when the public knows and understands what is really happening and then starts to question why...

I wish you luck. If you need any help just put the bat light in the air and i will be there in a jiffy! :-)

Sarah,

What a piss poor business model. This place looks like it is has not changed for the past 40 years. Mr. Jim is stuck in the York county time warp of chicken corn soup and Harley Davidson. It is time to wake up a smell all of the urban sprawl. I have doubts that this new group of middle class none identity people moving to York will ever want to be associated with such a place. If you want to display bears do it in a manner that allows the lazy, ice cream eating sightseers to enjoy the bears in a natural setting not next to the big loud blowup fun house.

I see hundrens of animals (Wild or Domestic) run over every year buy all you concerned citizens. I see see you slow down just long enough to see if they crawl to the side of the road to die. I see how you allow others to raise hundreds of dogs and cats each year for sales with no concern for veterinarian care. I see how some people allow cats to breed and feed on their back porches while someone else has to deal with their multiple offspring,transmitted diseases and fighting in their neighborhood. I see how you folks think a 10 by 20 unshaded backyard is O.K. for your pets.I see people who bring parrots into their homes to cage them in 3 by 3 cages until they die! I may seem incompassionate, but at least I don't take on the easiest target of cruelty (As you say) to try and change the system. P.S. jerks; this ain't no spelling contest. Get over my mistakes in writing! Bear comments are welcome.

Brian,

I will agree with you on a few of the points you have made. But domestic animals are different than wild. Domestic animals need people to help them survive, while wild can take care of themselves and if they can't then nature takes care of it.

But at the sayin goes, we need to take care of one thing at a time. Sarah noticed the bears this time so she is trying to help them, perhaps next time she will see a parrot in a 3 x 3 cage and set it free :-)

Perhaps you don't see what the problem is here with the bears, that's ok but don't put down the ones who do see it and want to help. it doesn't make them
bad people. On that same note, people should not be putting you down either.

I agree with Big Daddy and think Jim should be contacted. Once that has happened then we will have a better idea of what direction we need to take.

We all see these poor animals that are killed by cars. I had to watch my own cat get hit and killed and there was nothing i could do for her. But we arent talking about these animals. Unfortunalty man has created these problems. But putting bears in a cage with no grass and no trees or shade is completely inhumane. And is a totally different situation. He(Jim) has not "saved" these bears. He has made them a display to attract people to his business. I have no problem with someone wanting to keep these animals as attractions, zoo's do it all the time. All we want is for them to be able to retreat to some shade or a hiding place if they have had too much of people. Give them some grass a couple of trees. I really dont think that is asking to much.

By the way Brian - having a pet isnt cruel since they are "domestic" and need people to survive as Mr President said. But there are those who do not care for their pets the way they should and that is a different subject. Lets just work on getting these poor bears some sort of place they can be happy. Then maybe they would enjoy the people that come to see them instead of laying there depressed and sad.

I just want to make sure there is no miscommunication about the bears living quarters, I believe that they do get some shade from the large tree outside their cage. But I said "sweltering heat" because if you've been in York County in July or August, shade doesn't really make much of a difference.

Thank you, EVERYONE, for your constructive comments.

"I fear animals regard man as a creature of their own kind which has in a highly dangerous fashion lost its healthy animal reason -- as the mad animal, as the laughing animal, as the weeping animal, as the unhappy animal." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I Posted a couple of pics of the "saved" bears. Gag.

Those pictures are heartbreaking.

Of course we would start with the "easiest target of cruelty" with hopes of expanding awareness and in time lessening all cruelty to animals. The only things that Sarah or anyone can try to change are the things she sees or is aware of. I believe what she is going for here is to not only give the bears a more joyful existence but to raise awareness to as many people as she can that it is NOT okay to knowingly and purposely treat animals this way. She is trying to make a difference but can only do it one step at a time.

To Sarah:

I wanted to ask you about the organizations that you've contacted, and how bad the "runaround" has been. Has local law enforcement been a part of this in any way, or the DEC? I have intervened on situations in the past, not with a carnivore as large as a bear, but definitely fox and raccoons, and the DEC was very helpful. Finding the organization with the most direct ablity to legally intervene on the behalf of wildlife, will get the fastest results. I will be a vet student in the fall, and I asked several veterinarians directly about this situation and they all felt that the higher up you go (i.e. governors, ASPCA, PAWS), you may definitely get someone to listen, but not necessarily someone to act. The DEC is responsible for protecting game and wildlife, and enforcing the laws against their unlawful possession, and cruel treatment. Through the PA DEC's website I also stumbled across the PA Game Commission. I would contact both organizations. Have you tried that already? Just a side note, I agree with Jill's earlier comment that the two orphaned bears were better off not being rescued. Non-releaseable wildlife should be humanely euthanized. Although for these two bears, it sounds like any placement in a well-equipped zoo or refuge facility would be better than where they are now. We are their #1 source of stress if we take them from the wild and bring them into a captive environment. The sound of our voice, even our presence, is terrifying to them, and their mothers teach them that at a very young age. These two bears see people only as a food source, that shoots pellets into their cage. Their lives are not and will not be made more enjoyable by the company of humans. And if they've been around people so long, that the safe distance between humans and wildlife has been breached, then their release back into the wild will be life-threatening not only to the animal, but to any human they encounter. Baby bears, raccons, squirrels, fox, what-have-you are cute, but taking them in is selfish and misguided, if you are not licensed to rehabilitate and release them. Thank you for your amazing work, and if the DEC and Game Commission aren't helpful, let me know and I will keep digging. I worked for a wildlife rehabilitation hospital in Florida, and they are equipped to handle bears. I will ask them for their advice also. Take care!

Jess.. thank you for a very insightful and encouraging post. I appreciate you supporting my sister in this cause. She's worked hard and we're proud of her for this effort!

Ooops.. I'm Gary.. not Jess. Thanking Jess. haha