Meet Cherry Bomb, Our Grizzly Bear

Born at Cherokee Bear Park Zoo in Cherokee, North Carolina, Cherry Bomb was used as a cub petting prop along with her brother Albert. After a few months of being used as cub petting prop, Cherry Bomb and Albert were sent to Ohio to be auctioned off. Ironically, a man from North Carolina bought both bears at the Ohio auction house and took them back to their birth state of North Carolina. Cherry Bomb was purchased by Little Man's Zoo in Chadbourne, North Carolina, and was put on display. During this time she was declawed. After four weeks at Little Man's Zoo, the owners decided they did not want Cherry Bomb anymore.

She spent a short amount of time in the hands of private owners before she was sent to Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She was put on display at this roadside tourist attraction and after five months of being there, once again, Cherry Bomb's owners decided they did not want her anymore. Cherry Bomb's fate was up in the air.

She was passed around before a couple in North Carolina decided to take her in after hearing from a friend about her misfortune. The owners already had two Himalayan black bears named Teddy and Baloo. A year after they took in Cherry Bomb, they also rescued her brother Albert - and the bears were reunited once again.

Around 2011 the couple struggled to provide adequate care for their four bears, and when it came to the point that they were no longer able to provide a proper home, they reached out to Bobbi for help.

Through a generous grant and an outpouring of support from Lions Tigers & Bears' members and supporters, Bobbi and the Lions Tigers & Bears Rescue Team was able to travel to North Carolina to rescue Albert, Cherry Bomb, Teddy and Baloo in late May 2014. The bear family of four now calls the sanctuary home.