The Mary T. and
Frank L. Hoffman
Family Foundation
and All-Creatures.Org

Letters and Responses

Dear 3 On Your Side,

My husband and I visited the Jackson Zoo twice last weekend. We went back Sunday to get pictures of the bears so we would have something to show someone that might be able to help them. We didn't take them at first Saturday afternoon because they looked so pitiful that we didn't want to have pictures of bears in such a sad state.

We frequent the Smokies and know what healthy bears are suppose to look like. I think it's just gets too hot here for the bears and the zoo cannot compensate well enough to provide anything close enough to their natural habitat. I'm not saying that the bears are in a deplorable situation like I've read about in some reports at zoocheck.com, but they are obviously suffering and to what degree should any living being suffer for the sake of entertainment by zoos?

There is another black bear other than the one pictured that continually paced at the back fence both days and we were not able to get a good picture of that one. On Sunday we made 3 rounds of the zoo and would go back to the bear exhibit so we could see changes and make sure it wasn't just a matter of the bears going back and forth a few times on occasion as claimed by the zoo.

Please see the attached photographs (we do have several more) and the pdf. zoo reports. Specific pages to see on the American Black Bear comparison report are pgs. 5-7 and 9-11. On the Ontario report, pgs. 8-9, 17-18 and 21-23. If you see the guidelines and observations given on these reports and compare them to the bears' conditions, behaviors and surroundings at the Jackson Zoo, I think you'll agree that these bears are miserable.

Thank you for your time. Please check this out. Each day here in the south at this time of year it will only continue to get more and more heated and each day those bears are struggling to get through it.

Sincerely,
Meg Stuckey

To see the Photos: Black Bears in Zoo

Reply from Frank and Mary Hoffman

Dear Meg:

Thank you for sending us the letter.

Keep up the great work!

In the Love of the Lord,

Frank and Mary

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