Hi,

My name is Dennis Black Hawk. I’m an American Indian and have had black bears for 14 years. Don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t have the bears as “pets”. NO one should have bears as pets. I have a very small non-profit called the End Of The Trail Refuge in Arkansas. We don’t have a 501(c)3 as we can’t afford it right now even though our paperwork is made out.

I can save a whole lot of typing by giving you this link which will explain why I have the bears. This is the last court case Judge Alito decided before he was appointed to the Supreme Court. I’m the Plaintiff:

By Federal Judge Vanaskie, and this one:

By Federal Judge Samuel Alito

Almost every year, the adults have cubs. I raise them and donate them to reputable places like the Memphis Zoo. I will not have the adults “fixed” as we don’t believe in altering wildlife, even though the bears were declawed before I got them when they were cubs and before they were barely able to walk. I would NOT have done that.

Every year, I take the cubs around to schools, etc. and try to educate people that bears are NOT the fearsome predators that they are made out to be, they have just as much right to walk this Earth and share it with all other species, and about American Indian spiritual beliefs on wildlife. I (well I don’t touch a penny) receive donations for the care of the bears. This only last 3 months though. This year we received a total of approx. $ 600.

This year, I cannot find anyone reputable who would take care of the cubs. It’s a long term commitment, as black bears live 25-30 years in captivity. Therefore, I now have the adults and the cubs here.

This year’s donations were used to feed the cubs (very expensive to feed them, as their milk is extremely high fat) and to expand the pen for the adults which is far from finished, as I hate seeing them in a 40 x 40 pen which is the state minimum. I THOUGHT that I’d have a good home for the cubs by now.

For those of you who ask “why don’t you return them to the wild?”, I would tell you that first, it’s against the law to return anything born in captivity to the wild. Secondly, the adults were (unfortunately) declawed and couldn’t defend themselves or dig up grubs and roots. As for the cubs and the adults, they are acclimated to people and would turn out to be a “nuisance” and be killed, not to mention hunting season.

I’m still paying for the cubs’ food out of my own pocket, and I hardly make enough money for myself and my son. The adults eat well, (the male is 600 lbs.), as I receive donations of fruits and vegetables from a local supermarket.

If anyone can help or has any ideas, I would sure appreciate it.

Thank you.