Meet Sallie, Our Himalayan Black Bear

Sallie and her sister, Susie, were rescued from Tri-State Zoological Park in Maryland in October 2022. The facility was a defunct roadside zoo that was shut down due to numerous animal welfare violations over the years. Including multiple deaths of big cats as a result of inadequate veterinary care and emaciation. PETA filed suit, and in 2019 a court ruling for violations of the Endangered Species Act called for the transfer of three big cats to true sanctuaries, and prohibited the facility from ever owning or possessing endangered or threatened species again. During this time, five more animals including the tiger died under the facilities care. In 2020, another lawsuit was filed by PETA, and it consequently took another two years to get this rescue in motion. Needless to say, our team was relieved to help facilitate the rescue of 12 animals from the property. The animals include:

• 2 female Himalayan black bears named Susie & Sallie
• 2 miniature horses named Dream & Cappuccino
• 1 llama named Cody
• 2 emus
• 2 coatis
• 2 geese
• and 1 pot-bellied pig named Snorkel

Our Rescue Team worked on the grounds to safely load the animals into our rescue hauler and prepared them for transport to their forever homes. The team had to retrofit our rescue hauler in order to safely accommodate the eclectic crew of passengers.

Susie, Sallie, Cody, Dream & Cappuccino were welcomed to Lions Tigers & Bears, while the remaining animals were transported to an accredited sanctuary in Texas.

Susie and Sallie were actually rescued on their 32nd birthday - October 12, 2022! What a special birthday gift to be rescued and finally get the care they deserve. Susie and Sallie spent many years in a small, filthy enclosure with no access to fresh water. They became very overweight, which caused great discomfort as a result. Both bears also are missing most of their teeth due to a very poor diet and lack of veterinary care over their lifetime.

Our team is providing Susie and Sallie with a healthy diet, lots of enrichment, and tailored veterinary care to help make their life as comfortable as possible. We are honored to be able to provide these beautiful sisters with a life of dignity and compassion here at Lions Tigers & Bears.