The Fatal Consequences of Cub-Petting Operations

Roadside zoos that exploit bear cubs for photo ops have blood on their hands—and it’s not just that of the animals they exploit. Incidents in which humans directly engage with wildlife unveil a deeply disturbing revelation: Even beyond the confines of greedy roadside zoos and cub-petting operations, bears’ lives are threatened by dangerous human interactions.

By using vulnerable bears in cruel public encounters—like cub-petting, bottle-feeding, and photo ops—tourist traps like Yellowstone Bear World and Oswald’s Bear Ranch normalize the speciesist belief that other animals exist for humans’ amusement.

Cub-Petting Operations Harm Bears Directly

At Yellowstone Bear World, Oswald’s Bear Ranch, and other similar seedy operations, guests pay to pet, feed, and take photos with vulnerable bear cubs who have been separated from their protective mothers. In nature, bear cubs would be in their mother’s nurturing care for up to two years. But in the cub-petting industry, babies often don’t even get more than a few weeks with their mothers.

Premature maternal separation, constant confinement, and forced interactions with humans often cause bears extreme psychological distress. Many of them pace in their enclosures, cry out, exhibit displaced suckling behavior, toss their head, or suffer from other long-term developmental issues that hinder their ability to cope with their captive environment and increase their susceptibility to disease.

The Ramifications of Cub-Petting Interactions: Wild Bear Interactions

Normalizing direct-contact encounters with wildlife can have dangerous and even fatal consequences for both humans and animals.

August 12, 2024:

According to a WKTV report, a mother bear and her two cubs were euthanized in Old Forge, New York, after humans attempted to interact with them. Local authorities were called to de-escalate the situation, but before they managed to arrive, tourists were described as having surrounded the mother bear and her cubs while the animals were crossing through the town. The crowd reportedly tried to feed, pet, and take pictures with the bears, who had climbed a tree.

After officials arrived on the scene, they decided to euthanize the mother bear and her cubs. Reportedly, the mother bear, understandably protective of her two offspring, started to show signs of aggression toward the crowd. Now all three bears are dead—all because some humans thought it was appropriate to harass them.

April 18, 2024:

A group of people were caught on video ripping two black bear cubs out of a tree for a selfie. Footage of the incident shows the bears struggling to get away while the group of instigators forcibly grab at them. In nature, it’s normal for mother bears to leave their babies in or under a “babysitter tree” while they forage for food, which is likely why the cubs were in the tree to begin with.

Wildlife officials arrived on the scene to find only one of the bears, who was drenched and cold. The cub was sent to a rehabilitation facility and will eventually be released back into nature—but due to the irresponsible actions of humans, she has been robbed of her natural right to develop alongside her mother.

April 2, 2024:

Wildlife officials had to euthanize a young black bear who was reportedly causing disturbances in the residential neighborhood of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Residents had reportedly been feeding the bear, who learned to consider the area a resource for food and became acclimated to humans.

According to officials, these direct-contact encounters with the bear created a public safety threat, as the bear reportedly began approaching humans on their porches and sleeping in front of residents’ front doors.