Government Should Make Cherokee Casino Expansion Contingent on Tribe's Agreement to Follow State Animal Welfare Laws, Says Group
For Immediate Release:
December 6, 2011
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Raleigh, N.C. -- As the North Carolina General Assembly considers the compact for gaming expansion at Harrah's Cherokee Casino, PETA sent assembly members a letter urging them not to approve the compact without the added requirement that Cherokee adhere to state animal protection laws. In the letter, PETA points out that North Carolina's excellent animal protection laws do not currently apply to tribal land, where three roadside zoos keep approximately 30 bears on display in cramped, barren enclosures with no opportunity to express natural behavior.
"Black bears are protected everywhere in North Carolina except in Cherokee, where they need this protection most," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "These cruel exhibitors have been cited many times for violations of federal law, and subjecting them to state law would allow local authorities to take an active role in providing relief for these abused animals."
The three roadside zoos—Santa's Land, Cherokee Bear Zoo, and Chief Saunooke Bear Park—keep bears in grossly inhumane conditions that fail to adhere to the following requirements in North Carolina law:
- Black bears must be "held without caging under conditions simulating a natural habitat," with at least one acre for one to two bears and an additional one-eighth acre per additional bear. The bears in Cherokee are kept in enclosures as small as 280 square feet—less than 0.007 acres.
- At least one-half of the area of confinement must be "wooded with living trees, shrubs, and other perennial vegetation capable of providing shelter from sun and wind." The bears in Cherokee are kept in barren enclosures with little shade.
- Bears must be protected from harassment and annoyance. The bears in Cherokee have no retreat from the tourists who surround them.
- Bears must be given food that is "adequate to maintain good health." Tourists are encouraged to purchase food to feed the bears, who do not receive proper nutrition. Some bears are obese while others are underweight.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.