Bob Barker Joins Bear Battle

TV legend Bob Barker is appealing to North Carolina’s Cumberland County Board of Commissioners to let Ben, a distressed bear held prisoner at a dismal roadside zoo, retire to a sanctuary.

Cumberland County had an ordinance in place banning exotic animals, but rather than enforcing the ban, county commissioners amended their own law specifically so that Jambbas Ranch Tours, where Ben and other animals are confined to cramped, barren cages, could be exempted. A wildlife expert who saw the video footage of Ben said his pacing, biting at the chain link, and pushing his head against the fence were clear signs of psychological distress.

In a letter to the commissioners, Barker wrote, “It beats me how, rather than enforcing this humane provision, the board could listen to Jambbas’ owner and amend the ordinance to allow such inhumane treatment of animals to continue. I believe that you must not have been given all the facts or seen this situation for yourselves, as that does not seem right at all.”

Please ask Cumberland County Commissioners to let this suffering bear spend the rest of his days being cared for properly in a sanctuary.
Written by Michelle Sherrow