Please Help Our Grizzly Bears



Back in 2002 we (Casey Anderson , Ami Testa and John Peterson) decided to do something to help an animal that we loved, grizzly bears. Of course there are so many animals that need help in the world but the three of us have a special personal connection to one threatened species, grizzly bears. We had come to know that many grizzly bears are killed every year because they cannot live in the wild. For some of them the reason is that they were orphaned when they were too young to survive on their own. Others were victims of human encroachment into their habitat and lost their natural fear of humans making them “problem” bears. Still others were raised in captivity in situations where their owners might have planned to give them a home and ultimately found that was not realistically possible. In all of these situations these beautiful bears were killed simply because they could not find a proper home. We knew that we could not save all these bears but we were determined to save as many as we could. So we bought a piece of land at the top of Bozeman pass near Bozeman, Montana and began building a sanctuary and called it Montana Grizzly Encounter. The plan was to go one step further than simply providing a home for a few grizzly bears. We would open the sanctuary to the public so they could come and enjoy watching the bears. More important, they could learn about them and how to protect the species for the future. And we would put a special emphasis on how humans can be “bear safe” when enjoying wild bear habitat. In this way we could make a difference for all bears in the wild. Charging a small admission charge would pay for maintaining the sanctuary. We opened in 2004. Soon we had five grizzly bears in residence.



Brutus was born at an overcrowded wildlife park in 2002, where his future was uncertain. He was Montana Grizzly Encounter's first rescue and has been with us since he was the size of a squirrel. Now fourteen years later he stands seven feet tall and weighs almost nine hundred pounds. Brutus appears often on TV with Casey Anderson and has come to be known as the world ambassador for all grizzly bears.



Sheena and Christi are sisters that were were born in captivity in 1986. They were bought at an exotic animal auction as cubs by private owners in Texas that planned to use them in a circus. When those plans fell through. Sheena and Christi ended up spending eighteen years living in a six by four foot cage and a small cargo trailer. When they were eighteen years old authorities stepped in and informed their owners to find them a proper home immediately or euthanize them. USDA contacted Montana Grizzly Encounter and we put together a rescue team and drove them from Texas to Montana. Sheena and Christi seemed to love their new home. But it took a while to get used to being outside of their small cages. Watching them explore their new spacious and natural home was truly a joy. Unfortunately almost five years later Christi died at twenty-three years old. Sheena is still quite healthy and active.



Jake and Maggie were born in 2006 at a wildlife park in Georgia where there was not enough room to keep them. They were brought to a new wildlife park in Oregon when they were six months old. Unfortunately after a year and a half, the facility could not raise the funding to keep and care for them. When the bears were two years old the park was ordered by officials to find them a permanent home or euthanize them. So we were contacted at Montana Grizzly Encounter. We made the long drive to bring them to Montana arriving back at our sanctuary on December 24th 2008. It was fascinating to watch them react to their new home. This was the first time they had ever been allowed to roam in an area larger than a small cage. They had never seen snow before and were quite afraid of it. After two months of being offered to go outside to play daily we were finally able to coax them out to give it a try. And they loved it!



Bella is our newest rescue at Montana Grizzly Encounter. She was born in Dry Creek, Alaska. In June of 2014 when she was just a few months old she was left without her mother either by being abandoned or because her mother was killed. Very fortunately someone spotted her alone hiding in a tree. A grizzly bear cub must stay with their mother for two to three years to learn the complicated skills for survival. A young cub like Bella could never survive alone in the wild. After watching her for four days Alaska Fish and Game rescued her from near starvation, weighing only fifteen pounds. But once again she had to find a permanent home or be euthanized. They called Montana Grizzly Encounter and we put together a flight to bring her from Alaska to Montana. At Montana Grizzly Encounter Bella is thriving. Now two and a half years later she weighs about 375pounds and stands six feet tall.







For the last 12 years Montana Grizzly Encounter has provided a caring home for rescued grizzly bears that can live nowhere else and we have received lots of recognition for our work. More than 100 thousand people have come to watch and enjoy learning from them. We invite school and youth groups to come and learn from the bears free of charge. Over ten thousand children have come and enjoyed that experience. With our unique location atop Bozeman Pass that affords a beautiful view of the mountains we feel that Montana Grizzly Encounter is the best place in the world to safely watch grizzly bears up-close in a natural setting. Our thousands of visitors agree that Montana Grizzly Encounter has provided a real benefit for both grizzly bears and the public.



But in July of 2016 the local zoning enforcement made a determination that we should not have some of the structures that we built at Montana Grizzly Encounter.



This was a huge shock for us. When we built our sanctuary starting in 2002 there was no zoning in the area. The regulations that were passed four years later clearly state that structures already in place or on which construction had already begun are grandfathered and exempt from the new law. Yet the zoning agent still said some of our buildings were illegal. To us it seemed obvious that determination was based not on the law but on someone’s own agenda. If these buildings would have to be removed in all likelihood we will no longer be able to continue operating as a sanctuary. And that could mean an end to the lives of all 5 of our bears.



In October a hearing was held to determine our case. Fortunately we had the public on our side. The zoning board received hundreds of letters of support from around the world and people from all over the area took their time to come speak in our behalf. At the hearing the zoning board reversed some parts of the determination but let other parts of it stand and added some new restrictions that we feel as clearly outside of the law. We are now forced to file yet another legal appeal, this time in district court.



My partners and I have given the last 12 years of our lives and have invested our life’s savings in the project. Back in 2002 we hired an engineering firm and began work according to their site plan and construction to that design has been ongoing ever since.



All we ask is that we be allowed to operate our sanctuary as it was intended according to the laws in place in 2002 when we began our building and finish our construction as finances become available. This is clearly what the zoning law was intended to allow.



For the last 12 years we have operated successfully using only our own money and funds generated by admissions to watch our beautiful bears and sales from our gift shop. We have never used any tax dollars or grant money.



But this year that is impossible because of our legal battle. This unfair attack has cost us tremendously. The legal bill for our defense has risen to close to thirty-five thousand dollars. And it’s still not over.



And this comes at the worst possible time because now winter is here when admissions to the park or very low.



We want our bears to live the best life we can give them so we feed them every day year round and because of that they do not feel the need to go into the physically stressful state of hibernation. Our attention to their care has paid off. Sheena our oldest bear is thirty years old now and still healthy and active. But this kind of dedicated care is expensive. Our five bears eat about one hundred pounds of high quality food every day. And winter in Montana brings all kinds of other challenges and expenses. Electricity alone is over $700 every month.







Legal costs have completely depleted thirty-five to forty thousand dollars we usually set aside to get us through the long winter off-season . That is why this year we must ask for your help. Please help us raise the money we need to get us through the winter and continue fighting to keep our sanctuary open. Please help us continue to provide a home for our five rescued grizzly bears and a place where thousands of people can come to enjoy and learn from them.



On behalf of our five beautiful grizzly bears at Montana Grizzly Encounter, Brutus, Sheena , Jake , Maggie and Bella.



Thank you very much.





































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