Ben

Ben, born in 2009 and a Safe Haven resident since 2015

HISTORY

In 2011, a private Ohio exotic animal owner let his over 56 big cats, bears and other exotics out of their cages before committing suicide with law enforcement forced to shoot almost all of the animals wandering into area neighborhoods. After this incident, the state of Ohio implemented new private owner regulations including obtaining a permit, liability insurance and safe caging standards. Owners were given one year to comply or their animals would be confiscated.

Black Bears Ben and his enclosure mate Teddy’s owner did not comply with these new standards and the bears were confiscated and placed with Safe Haven. Their owner decided to appeal and took his case all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court. The case continued for 2 years until Safe Haven was awarded permanent placement of Ben and Teddy.

Ben is the smaller of the two weighing approximately 400 lbs. Ben and Teddy love each other’s company and we are pleased to be able to keep them together. In anticipation of their placement, we constructed a 10,000 square foot habitat complete with two insulated dens, multi-level climbing and shade platform, trees and a huge 31’ x 50’ in-ground pool.

Staff have a great time giving them treats and lots of enrichment. Ben’s favorite is anything sweet but otherwise, he enjoys a healthy diet including lots of fruits, vegetables and salmon.

ABOUT BLACK BEARS

The American Black Bear is the smallest of the three bears species found in North America. Black Bears are omnivorous, eating plants, fruits, nuts, insects, honey, salmon, small mammals and carrion. In northern regions, they eat spawning salmon. They are also excellent climbers and swimmers. In captivity, they can live to 35 years or more.