Overweight Bear Rescued From Pennsylvania Sportsman's Club Is Now Recovering in Colorado Sanctuary

Apr 10, 2020 by apost team

After pleas to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe from celebrity Alec Baldwin, Dillan the Asiatic black bear has been rescued from a Sportsman Club in Union County. After the USDA had cited the Club many times for providing inadequate veterinary care, Dillan has finally been relocated to a Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado where he is recovering from obesity and psychological stress.

Dillan was a resident at the Union County Sportsman Club in Pennsylvania where he spent his days in a concrete cage with ailments such as arthritis, psychological stress, tooth pain, and severe obesity as a result of being fed scraps from the restaurant, according to a PETA article.

Despite the USDA having been on-site to the club for several inspections that see numerous code violations including failures to provide animals with shelter or food, it took People magazine publishing Alec Baldwin's letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe to make change in the life of this Asiatic black bear. 

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Baldwin's letter urged the Pennsylvania governor to release the bear to a wildlife sanctuary at no cost to his current owners. He mentioned that this is a follow-up to his first request in which he initially called for urgent action because of Dillan's health and veterinary needs.

"Dillan suffers from life-threatening dental disease and arthritis, problems caused and exacerbated by his morbid obesity and confinement on concrete," 

"He's estimated to be at least 400 pounds overweight, and wildlife experts have said that he's the most obese bear they've ever seen. He exhibits signs of severe psychological distress and spends his days rocking back and forth in his cage, which is sometimes so filled with feces that he can't move around without touching it.

The letter went on to say that Dillan could be happy in the sanctuary running, digging, and swimming—a much better and freer life for the bear.

Thanks to the repeated effort, Dillan has now been relocated to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. Instead of restaurant scraps, Dillan now has fresh fruits and vegetables to eat along with way more fresh air and sunshine. He has stopped the rocking and shaking that he had repeatedly done at the Sportsman Club in Union County. 

The video below shows how Dillan's life has been improved since his move to the sanctuary that focuses on rescuing many wild animals including lions, tigers, bears, and others. 

It is sure a good thing that Dillan has been relocated to a better facility. What do you think about Dillan recovering in his new home? Do you know of similar stories in which animals have recovered from non-ideal situations? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on to others so they can learn that Dillan has been relocated and is recovering!