An Entertainment Abuses Articles from All-Creatures.org

Birthday Bear Wishes for Boo Boo

From PAWS Performing Animal Welfare Society
January 2023

He is surrounded by native trees, bushes and grass – and the quiet of nature. Caregivers shower plenty of love and attention on the elderly bear. 

This month Boo Boo turns 29 years old – which is quite old for a black bear!

At the sanctuary since 1994, Boo Boo is easy to identify because of the lighter ring of fur around his neck. This wasn’t a natural occurrence... When he was just weeks old, Boo Boo was separated from his mother and sold at auction as a "pet." His "owners" put a collar around his neck and chained the small cub to a tree.

But baby bears grow very fast. The collar around Boo Boo’s neck got tighter and tighter, yet no one bothered to remove it.

Before long, the collar was nearly strangling Boo Boo. In fact, it had grown an inch and a half into his neck. It took surgery to remove the collar and he had to be treated for several infections.

Today, Boo Boo leads a quiet, comfortable life in his enclosure in the Bob Barker Bear Habitat.

He is surrounded by native trees, bushes and grass – and the quiet of nature. Caregivers shower plenty of love and attention on the elderly bear. 

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