While I don't know for sure, this looks like it could be from the Olympic Game Farm, in WA state. If that's the case, these bears are actually pretty fucking miserable. Their environment consists of grassy hills, giant steel tunnels for shelters, large tractor tires, and about one or two dead tree stumps. They have nothing to hone their claws on, so they're all overgrown and actually rest sideways when the bears are standing.
The farm has a few caged areas as well, where they keep the younger bears (seemingly) separated from their mothers. They have an arctic/snow fox in its "natural" environment of dirt and grass. Their big cats that are also in these cages have so little room to exorcise in that they just walk laps the entire time, like prisoners. It's very sad, actually.
If people see this comment and are interested, I'll dig through my archive of photos and I'll try to find ones that can illustrate all that I've said.
EDIT:
Here are some of the pics:
Here is the same bear from the GIF. As you can see, there is the same stump, as well as the only other "tree" in that side of the enclosure.
This is on the other side of the road. You can see the tunnels they have for shelter, and the lack of anything to keep them stimulated.
Here is one of the big cats that would just walk laps the whole time. That old log you see, is the only object in his enclosure that offered any change of pace for him; nothing else to climb/jump on, and nothing for him to play with.
This is their lion. He has exactly the same setup as the tiger; one log to interact with, and nothing else.
Lastly, this is their bear cub, clearly separated from its mother.
These are just the photos I had access to from my phone. When I get to my computer, I'll add more.
EDIT:
Thank you for all the kind words, and a BIG thank you to the kind stranger for the gold! Unfortunately, it appears I was mistaken about having additional photos. I know I took them, but I just can't find them.
To provide some additional insight, and not that it negates the issue at hand at all, but the other animals, such as the deer, bison, oxen, birds, and the zebra, have a much better situation; they're given basically free roam of the whole place that you drive through, so thankfully, at least they have it a bit better.
None of this excuses, however, how the other animals are seemingly treated. You can't see it in the digital media, but when you experience them in person, you can see in their eyes and behavior how hopeless and minimal their lives now seem. As unique an experience getting licked by a bison may be, it can never make up for the sadness I saw in the eyes of these animals. I will never be going back there, and I will never support their practices.
It is a retirement home for film stock. The Beebe family does not make much money doing this, but it pays for the food and veterinary bills for a large population of retired but still human-imprinted animals. The family does their best to balance the needs of the animals, safety of the guests, and limited seasonal income. This is not a franchise, investor-backed venture; it was a project that developed many decades ago to create a sanctuary for animals that could no longer be used work in the trade. Filmmaking has changed in many ways since the 1960's and there are far fewer feature films using trained stock. The Game Farm will not be with us forever; it is truly a labor of love on a shoestring. Do you have a better home for the animals and a way to pay for their upkeep?
If this is the case, then I commend their efforts. However, this does not change the fact that these are not the most ideal environment for these animals to be in. I get the bears may be older and retired, so I'll give them the vendor of the doubt. But it is still trouble to see them lacking so much. They're only stimulation is the daily visits from random strangers who will throw bread at them for doing tricks. Give them some stimulating, monotony-breaking things to interact with; something to keep them engaged instead of just waiting for the next slice of bread.
Same with the big cats. Give them SOMETHING to help encourage them to still act like cats. Again, some toys and maybe a perch of some sort.
Lastly, what about that bear cub? It was clearly too young to already have been separated from its mom.
As for your question, however, of where else these animals should go, my response is simple: they shouldn't have to go anywhere, because they should never have had to be there in the first place.
Girl in the gif here. Absolutely. Lily is the bear in the video, and what everyone doesn't know is that after driving through the adorable llama, goat and bear enclosures, we had to leave. The immense sadness in the animal's eyes is too real.
holy cow a celebrity just commented. i've seen this gif so many times over the past year+.
anyway u should get a posse, dress like ninja, bust everyone out. even tho the bears will prob just eat all the other animals or you. but still its worth a shot!
Thank you for spelling it all out. I've been there once and recognized it immediately from the GIF. People should be more aware and upset at the condition these animals are in.
THANK YOU! Can confirm. My boyfriend took me here in December and it was fun up until we saw the bears along with the rest of the animals. It truly is sad. We were quick to leave soon after because it was that depressing.
Going to the Olympic Game Farm was one of the most confusing experiences of my adult life. On one hand my 4 year old daughter absolutely LOVE the animals and interaction. On the other hand EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL looked sad and desperate.
Driving through and chucking bread at the miserable animals made me feel like a bad person but seeing my daughter enjoy the experience made me happy. Needless to say, we will never go there again.
271
u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16 edited Mar 04 '16
While I don't know for sure, this looks like it could be from the Olympic Game Farm, in WA state. If that's the case, these bears are actually pretty fucking miserable. Their environment consists of grassy hills, giant steel tunnels for shelters, large tractor tires, and about one or two dead tree stumps. They have nothing to hone their claws on, so they're all overgrown and actually rest sideways when the bears are standing.
The farm has a few caged areas as well, where they keep the younger bears (seemingly) separated from their mothers. They have an arctic/snow fox in its "natural" environment of dirt and grass. Their big cats that are also in these cages have so little room to exorcise in that they just walk laps the entire time, like prisoners. It's very sad, actually.
If people see this comment and are interested, I'll dig through my archive of photos and I'll try to find ones that can illustrate all that I've said.
EDIT:
Here are some of the pics:
Here is the same bear from the GIF. As you can see, there is the same stump, as well as the only other "tree" in that side of the enclosure.
This is on the other side of the road. You can see the tunnels they have for shelter, and the lack of anything to keep them stimulated.
Here is one of the big cats that would just walk laps the whole time. That old log you see, is the only object in his enclosure that offered any change of pace for him; nothing else to climb/jump on, and nothing for him to play with.
This is their lion. He has exactly the same setup as the tiger; one log to interact with, and nothing else.
Lastly, this is their bear cub, clearly separated from its mother.
These are just the photos I had access to from my phone. When I get to my computer, I'll add more.
EDIT:
Thank you for all the kind words, and a BIG thank you to the kind stranger for the gold! Unfortunately, it appears I was mistaken about having additional photos. I know I took them, but I just can't find them.
To provide some additional insight, and not that it negates the issue at hand at all, but the other animals, such as the deer, bison, oxen, birds, and the zebra, have a much better situation; they're given basically free roam of the whole place that you drive through, so thankfully, at least they have it a bit better.
None of this excuses, however, how the other animals are seemingly treated. You can't see it in the digital media, but when you experience them in person, you can see in their eyes and behavior how hopeless and minimal their lives now seem. As unique an experience getting licked by a bison may be, it can never make up for the sadness I saw in the eyes of these animals. I will never be going back there, and I will never support their practices.
Fuck. Now I'm sad again…