17 Bears Rescued From Concrete Pits Feel Earth Under Their Paws For First Time

Seventeen bears who were held in captivity in concrete pits are now free to roam outdoors at a beautiful 60-acre sanctuary. The bears were kept at Black Forest Bear Park in Georgia, where they lived miserably in their pits, begging for food from park’s visitors. The female bears were also bred and their cubs taken from them immediately after birth.

A collaborative effort by PETA, the Atlanta Humane Society, and Sam Simpson managed to arrange for the bears to be rescued and taken to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado.




At their new home, they have the freedom to roam, forage, and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. After years of feeling nothing but hard concrete under their paws, these bears now get to feel the earth and grass. And two of the bears were pregnant at the time of their rescue, will be able to raise their own babies for first time.

Watch the joyous reactions of some of the bears being released into their new habitat in the video below!

Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.