Tell the USDA and Cherokee Tribal Council: Shut Down the Cherokee Bear Zoo Now

Throughout the United States, countless animals suffer in low-budget roadside zoos. Used for cheap entertainment, these animals are often confined to barren cages, forced into unnatural interactions with tourists, deprived of proper care, and subjected to poor diets and living conditions. One of the worst examples of these exploitative attractions is the Cherokee Bear Zoo in Cherokee, North Carolina.

At this bleak tourist stop, black bears, grizzly bears, and even sun bears—a species native to Southeast Asia—are imprisoned in concrete pits. These grim enclosures are void of natural stimulation, each containing little more than a few scattered mats on the ground, a tiny pool that is barely sufficient for the bears to cool off in during the sweltering North Carolina summers, and a few scattered tires and logs as makeshift enrichment. Tourists pay just $6 to visit and another $1 to toss scraps of fruit and bread to the pacing, begging bears.

In the wild, bears roam vast distances every day through forests, mountains, and rivers. They dig, forage, climb, and swim. Denied these essential behaviors, captive bears in the Cherokee Bear Zoo exhibit neurotic pacing, head swinging, and other signs of profound psychological distress.

This disturbing attraction also allows tourists to bottle feed, and take photos with, baby bear cubs that have been ripped from their mothers—sometimes just days after birth. These visitors often see themselves as animal lovers, but what they’re really supporting is a lifetime of misery for these babies.

In the wild, bear mothers are fiercely protective and stay with their young for up to two and a half years—teaching them how to survive, keeping them safe, and forming deeply emotional bonds. At Cherokee Bear Zoo, these cubs never experience that maternal bond, all in the name of profit and tourist entertainment.

Once these cubs grow too large to be safely handled, their futures are bleak. Some are shuffled off to other roadside zoos or private collectors. Others are thrown into the adult pits—beginning a new cycle of suffering.

The bears aren’t alone. This roughly suburban backyard-sized facility is also home to pygmy goats, monkeys, and lemurs. The unfortunate primates at the zoo are confined to barren wire cages, with some held in complete isolation, also denied the companionship and mental stimulation they so desperately need.

The Cherokee Bear Zoo is located on the Qualla Boundary, making its fate largely a matter for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Tribal Council. However, the facility is also licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which means it is legally required to comply with federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) standards—or risk losing its license.

The USDA has already cited the Cherokee Bear Zoo multiple times for violations of the AWA. These include the failure to provide veterinary care for a bear who suffered from significant hair loss, open sores, and inflamed skin; inadequate shelter; and insufficient enrichment. Yet despite these serious violations, the USDA has failed to take meaningful action.

Members of the EBCI have also taken a stand. In 2017, tribal elders filed a lawsuit claiming the zoo’s treatment of grizzly bears violated the Endangered Species Act. Despite these efforts, the Cherokee Bear Zoo continues to operate—and the animals continue to suffer.

It is long past time for action. We are calling on both the USDA’s Animal Care Division and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council to shut this facility down and ensure that every animal currently held there is sent to an accredited sanctuary.

Sanctuaries across the country have rescued bears from roadside zoos and given them the lives they deserve—lives with room to roam, grass under their feet, real ponds to swim in, trees to climb, soft bedding, nutritious food, and veterinary care. Bears rescued from miserable conditions have been known to splash, dig, hibernate, and heal when finally given the chance.

The bears at Cherokee Bear Zoo deserve that chance.

Take Action Now

Please sign and share this petition to help bring an end to this cruelty and secure a new life for the animals trapped in this dismal facility. It's time to shut down the Cherokee Bear Zoo—for good.