Update: November 19, 2019

The USDA inspected the Union County Sportsmen’s Club in Millmont, Pennsylvania, in October and found, yet again, that a morbidly obese Asiatic black bear named Dillan has been denied adequate veterinary care, including for his painful and severe dental issues. The inspection report notes that the “severity and chronic nature of these dental issues are likely to have caused the bear a significant amount of pain over a long period of time and the condition of the teeth have continued to deteriorate since first documented in 2017.”

Update: August 16, 2019

Following another visit to the club, experts estimate that Dillan is at least 400 pounds overweight—the most obese bear they’ve ever seen—and that his cramped concrete-floored cage and poor diet are contributing to numerous health and welfare issues. The experts agree that Dillan urgently needs to be transferred to a reputable sanctuary where he can receive the care that he desperately needs. Club officials have refused to meet with PETA and are hoping we’ll just go away—but we won’t.

Neglect runs rampant at the club, where Dillan and other animals are kept in cramped, often filthy cages. Dillan’s morbid obesity can be attributed to the club’s history of feeding him fattening restaurant leftovers and the lack of exercise opportunities in his small concrete-floored cage. He has been declawed, has arthritis, and has painful and life-threatening dental disease. Visitors and USDA inspectors have seen him rocking back and forth, a sign of severe psychological distress.

Animals at the club spend their days enduring loud gunfire. The USDA even cited the facility for the stress that this caused a geriatric bobcat. A raccoon there was found panting in the heat with no means to cool off, and birds were forced to drink out of an algae-covered water trough.

Please make a polite call to the Union County Sportsmen’s Club at 570-922-1128. (Please note: This is the correct number, even though a club representative may tell you otherwise.) Then, use the form below to urge the club to close down its wildlife exhibits and allow PETA to help transfer these animals to reputable facilities, where they can finally get the care that they desperately need.

Please send polite comments to:

Orville Spangler

[email protected]

Email Orville Spangler