Twenty five years to life, that is the sentence Ben the black bear of Spruce Haven Nature Park is currently serving. Ben arrived as an orphan but instead of being nursed back to health, he has been confined to a cage that activists call “worst bear enclosure in North America.”
The nature park in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario opened in 80s as a rescue facility for abandoned or injured domestic animals but as the years went on the park seemed to have lost its mission because now, the animals of Spruce Haven themselves are the ones that need rescuing.
Ontario is notorious for its “nature parks” the majority of which are roadside animal attractions. Ramshackle facilities with sad looking animals that serve to enrich their owners, not the lives of the animals they keep. These facilities should be shut down, and their animals should be relinquished to a sanctuaries that will give them the next best thing to a life of complete freedom, a life free of cruelty.
Luckily, right now, we have a chance to make a difference in the lives of Ben and the other animals of of Spruce Haven. City officials are currently debating whether to ban zoos from the city. If it goes through, Ben and other animals could soon be free.
Help encourage the Sault Ste. Marie City Council to do the right thing. Please sign and encourage them to vote to end zoos in Sault Ste. Marie.
