Wolf Has No Idea He's Leaving Roadside Zoo Forever

Day after day a gray wolf named Bear woke up in a concrete and chainlink cage - until one day he woke up and his whole life changed.

ALDF

Bear was living at Animaland Zoological Park, a roadside zoo in Pennsylvania. Even though he's a member of a very social species - gray wolves live in tightly bonded packs in the wild - he hadn't seen another wolf in years.

Jason Putsche

Little did Bear know, lawyers were fighting for him and the other animals at the zoo (including a Siberian tiger).

ALDF

Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the captive animals, saying that "Animaland had repeatedly failed to meet even the most minimal requirements for proper care of animals under the federal Animal Welfare Act, and inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed more than 60 violations in recent years."

Even though Animaland had claimed it was helping animals, after being served with the lawsuit, Animaland shut down for good. ALDF helped coordinate the transfer of Bear and the other animals to better homes.

The two black bears at the zoo are on their way to a rescue center in San Antonio, Texas, while the tiger and monkeys are on their way to a wildlife rescue center elsewhere in Pennsylvania.

Jason Putsche

"The animals at Animaland were suffering, and the zoo was breaking the law," Stephen Wells, executive director of ALDF, said in a statement. "We are happy to have helped these long-suffering animals find habitats that meet their needs as wild animals, and we are relieved that they are finally free from their cramped and dilapidated quarters at Animaland."

ALDF

As for Bear? On the most recent day when Bear woke up in his cage, he had no idea that it would be the last.

ALDF

Bear was put into a crate and driven to his new home: Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania, a safe haven for rescued wolves like him.

Jason Putsche

"[H]e can finally experience the companionship of other wolves and feel the earth beneath his paws," ALDF said.

Jason Putsche

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