Casey Affleck–Voiced Robot Bear to Urge New Hampshire Tourists: ‘Stay Away From Bear Pits!’
PETA Will Ask People to Take Action Against Local Roadside Zoo
Voiced by Manchester by the Sea star Casey Affleck, “Bernard”—PETA’s 7-foot-tall robotic bear—will be in Lincoln on Friday with a message for tourists: Stay miles away from Clark’s Trading Post and any other tourist trap that still confines bears to barren concrete pits or tiny pens.
Where: At the corner of Daniel Webster Highway and Connector Road, Lincoln
When: Friday, June 24, 10–11 a.m.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—will display banners showing bears confined to cramped pits and pens, where they endure psychological distress and have been documented suffering from arthritis, pressure sores, and other painful, debilitating conditions. Since 2012, PETA has successfully worked to close down two other bear pits and move 56 captive bears from pits and tiny pens to sanctuaries—where they are finally free to roam, forage, climb, and swim.
“Bears belong with their families in nature, not on display in filthy concrete pits,” says Affleck. “PETA’s remarkable animatronic bear will do wonders this summer to show kids and their parents why everyone should stay away from these cruel tourist traps.”
Bernard just appeared in Boston to warn tourists to stay away from Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln and will head next to Atlanta and other locations in Georgia to urge tourists to avoid Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn, Georgia.