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Is the bear wrestling exhibit entertainment or abuse?
posted by Carrie Young at
5:32 PM
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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55 Comments:
I am an avid animal lover. With that said, I don't believe that animal is in any danger and I think he's having a ball rough housing around.
It's OK for humans to ceremoniously beat each other into brain damage but Lord don't hurt the 300 pound bear.
I read too much that he does not take proper care of his animals, until that is taken care of, he should not be allowed to be doing anything!
This NOT animal abuse. This is a bear who is more than able to handle itself. I am sure the bear enjoys the chance to wrestle. However, I don't think letting people wrestle a bear is the responsible thing to do. The idea that this is animal abuse is brought on by the animal rights groups or should I say, the animal rights terrorists, such as PETA, API and HSUS. These animal rights groups want nothing more than to stop ALL contact between animals and humans. This is wrong and I am sick and tired of these animal rights groups forcing their ideas on everyone.
This is certainly entertainment, for both the bear and the individual involved - NOT abuse.
Some things to consider...
1. SOMEONE is making money off of this. And I'm pretty sure it's not the bear.
2. Yes, I'm sure the bear could beat the heck out a person if he wanted to. But as far as I know, animals can't talk. So how do we know he's having fun "rough housing around?"
3. Have we really stooped so low for entertainment in this country that we need to resort to bear wresting? Seriously?
Just leave the animal alone.
i love animals and would never hurt one but the apl is abuse in itself they denied me a huge dog for i was to leave him outside all day they said they should only go out to do their bussiness. but i had a shepard/husky mix and to bring him in was a fight even in winter i also have a wood privacy fence so what was the problem he lived for 17 years this way and did not seem unhappy.i was devastated and with my lose they added to the wounds so i now have another dog i got somewhere else and i never gave a donation again i now give to the parma private adoption and yet i live here in cleveland.i no longer feel bad for the strays for they are free at the apl is prison for them with tight restrictions hope of adoption is very slim or death.
thanks letha
Only when the bear can pick, who it wants to wrestle,when and where. and how he wants to spend all the money.
Most of you are not playing with a full deck here.
-A bear is an animal NOT a person.
-Animals do not fight strangers for fun! People wouldn't even do that without some kind of formal consent- if some stranger out of the blue attacked you, would that be fun?
How do you not get that it is abuse?
-Do you think this is a bear fresh out of the wild that has all his teeth and claws wrestling someone?
-DO you think he gets the same exercise a bear in the wild gets and feels refreshed and ready to 'play'?
-OF COURSE not! This bear is kept in a tiny little cage year round with no exercise and has no teeth or claws!
This guy that is his keeper has penalties for not taking proper care of tiny puppies, you are out of your mind to think he'd give a bear the proper environment it needs.
PS> The world has gone to hell when people say that those who care about and speak for those who can not (like animals or babies/children) are terrorists! It is laughable. Just use common sense and morals people: It is just as 'right' to remove a wild animal from nature and subject him to a tiny cell and torture as it is 'right' to do the same thing to a child from africa who does not speak our language. What's the difference!? Different species? Big deal? Big difference... that should not = right to abuse.
THANK YOU IX Center and USDA for doing the right thing. Ohio has been an embarrasment for years due to it's lax laws on owning exotic animals and animal cruelty compared to most states! Finally we won't look like heels or backward hicks to the rest of the US.
I am so pleased that this event has been cancelled. This bear is being abused and the man who owns the bear has multiple counts of animal cruelty. For those who think this is entertainment, go ahead and spend your life in a cage only to be let out to beat someone up, wow, that sounds fun. I'm sure the bear is so happy living in a cage instead of in the wild.
I think it's wrong. I liked going to the IX center to see the animals and have my pic taken with them. I felt bad enough to see them in their cages, but this is wrong.
I think it is abuse.Bears should be left to wildlife (or what is left of it). To Warren-Humans have the choice, the bear does not. were you in this fight you speak of?
''The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men.'' - Alice Walker
When I saw on the news that Sam was blocked from being at IX Center it MADE MY DAY. Sam was the assistant coach for my son's hockey team back in the 1980's and he was busted for selling cocaine and steroids, he called all of us parents and said he was working for the DEA, the next day in the Plain Dealer there was an article stating he was busting for dealing drugs. Google his name and see what you get. He owns the pet store in Great Northern mall and his animals are NOT taken care of properly. If you go in the pet store you will notice that there are always different employees. That is because their paychecks bounce. I work at a high school in Lorain Co. and a student I know worked for Sam and his first paycheck BOUNCED!!!! Needless to say he quit. Sam has had dead reptiles in cages and his employees say they are sleeping. Give me a break!!!! Sam definitely needs to be put OUT OF BUSINESS. DO NOT PATRONIZE HIS PLACE OF BUSINESS AT GREAT NORTHERN MALL. HE DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF THE DOGS PROPERLY. YOU WILL NOTICE THE CAGES AND ROOMS WHERE THEY ARE KEPT ARE DIRTY. THE DOGS ARE VERY THIN THEIR RIBS STICK OUT.
Gandhi said, "You can judge a society by the way it treats its animals." When there's a person who takes advantage of animals, forces them to "perform", and/or abuses them, I wonder about the person's compassion and respect for others. They are the reason organizations like the APL exist. There are people out there with no compassion, respect, or common sense.
I think people need to quit complaining and let the guy do his thing. People are constantly looking for things to complain about .... life's to short to always be in other peoples business. Yea he's probably making money, and I'm pretty sure that if you had the opportunity to put a couple bucks in your poket you would. GROW UP !!!!!!
ANONYMOUS SAID...
I THINK THE APL IS DOING AN AWSOME
JOB. IF YOU DON'T WANT HUMANE INVESTIGATORS KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR
THEN YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABUSING OR NEGLECTING YOUR ANIMALS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF ITS A DOMESTIC OR WILD ANIMAL IT STILL SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND NOT ABUSED OR NEGLECTED. I THINK HUMANE INVESTIGATERS ARE GREAT CAUSE THEY STICK UP FOR ANIMALS ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY CAN'T TALK, SOMEONE HAS TO STICK UP FOR THEM.
THE APL IS NOT A PRISON, THEY TAKE EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF THERE ANIMALS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE TIGHT RESTRICTIONS CAUSE YOU DON'T WANT A LOVING ANIMAL GOING TO AN ABUSIVE
HOME.
I think that it is abuse for the bear! It might be entertainment for people but you have to think about how the bear is being treated! You certaintly wouldnt like it if the you were in the bears position, now would you?
It seems to me that bear wrestling should have gone out of style with the Davey Crockett era. I would have thought we'd become a little more civilized. Yes, I'm an animal lover and wonder about people who would declaw and remove teeth from a wild animal to use them for sideshow freaks. I've been to the pet stores owned by Sam Mazzola in Midway Mall and in Great Northern Mall, and found both to be in terrible condition. The dogs were underweight and when my granddaughter bought a cat from the Midway store, it was full of intestinal parasites. I've seen sick and dead animals in cages. It's a shame Mazzola is allowed to stay in business.
Great news that the bear wrestling has been called off! This guy and his cruel act should be shut down once and for all. Thanks for covering the story.
This guy is mean, fat, and angry like a bear, why don't they put a coller and leash on him, cage him for a while and have people wrestle him?
What we put animals through for our pleasure is ridiculous. I hope all the animals are given to a sanctuary and this guy has to get a regular job without the involvement of any animals. There is no reason that we should use any animal for entertainment other than a house pet - the wild animals should be just that - Wild and left alone.
CG
Of course this is ABUSE. The animal has no voice in this matter so compassionate humans must BE his voice. Let the bear "handler"
get in a cage and wrestle. As for threats to APL, he's just shooting his big mouth off because he didn't get $$$ for this "show". there must be a reason his license was pulled. THINK PEOPLE.
This is not abuse, but I have heard that Sam does not take good care of his animals and that is wrong. There is nothing wrong with the APL or animal welfare groups, but the animal rights groups do not care one bit about animal welfare. Someone else had posted that these groups, such as PETA, API, HSUS, speak for those who can not speak for themselves. Well, if this is true, lets ask the poor cats, kittens and puppies, who were ready for adoption in North Carolina, if they had a choice. Yes, PETA did speak for them. The PETA workers took these animals to their van and killed them. I guess that's what these poor animals wanted right? My point is this, don't listen to these animal rights groups, they are not what you think they are. APL and your LOCAL humane societies are NOT part of these animal rights groups. If you want to know the truth about PETA, check out www.petakillsanimals.com There is nothing wrong with owning wild/exotic animals, but if you do, you must be responsible and provide for the total welfare of the animal. If you can't, don't own the animal. But this holds true for all animal ownership, domestic or otherwise. I don't feel this is abuse, but the public should not have full contact with an exotic animal like this. This is not responsible ownership.
Well let's even the playing field. You wanna wrestle a bear, then no headgear, nothing. Let's do it au naturelle. Let's give the bear the prize money if he pins the guy down.
We all know what happens if the bear is unexpectedly provoked. If he hurts a human being he will be destroyed.
Sam Mazzola ought to get a real job instead of exploiting animals. After reading about his background the man leaves a lot to be desired as far as being responsible goes.
I initially contacted a local tv station and conducted the first interview on this man when he started bear wrestling at Posh night club. Im so glad that obviously people against him and this ridiculous event as much as I am. This man has had so many violations in regards to the care of his animals its sick. I've seen them all. Wrestling is a natural part of a bears play time, heres the difference,,, Its against OTHER BEARS, WITHOUT A MUZZLE! All i can say, is i can not wait for the day he is banned from owning an animal. And put him in the ring with Ceaser without a muzzle.. They have no voice, so we must speak for them, Kudos to all who have joined the fight.. And it is true that one person can make a difference. Contact the USDA department and encourage them NEVER to give Mr.Mazzola back his license, they will listen
I hope the bear kills him and runs away and jumps on a plane to Mexico and get's a call girl.
Abuse .... The bear most likely had all his teeth removed & his claws which to a human would be like having all your teeth removed & your finger nails ..also the bear can't win ...& given a choice I think the bear would prefer to live in his natural habitat which MAN is rapidly distroyng .....to his own detriment in the end ....funny how people say something is not abuse there fore it is exceptable this is always the case for those on this earth that CAN NOT speak for themselves !!!!!...Is there NOT enough SPECTATOR entertainments options without using animals ???
How many distractoins from the unconscincable acts people committ everyday do we need ??? If people focused less on entertainment & more on the abuses committed by government, big corps , & everyday people this world might be a better place ..One MUST do what is for the HIGHTEST GOOD for those who can not speak for themselves ..We live in a country full of people who want to be entertained instaed of being good stewarts of this Earth & her inhabitants .....
Anyone ask the bear what he wants?
would he rather be running around the forest,climbing trees and catching salmon OR does he prefer to be hauled around in a tiny trailor, pulled out every couple of days, shoved into a ring and be literally manhandled by a bunch of
macho jerks trying to prove their manhood by wrestling the "wild" beast ? Does he wonder why these people are grabbing and smacking him? What makes you think he enjoys this? Its ok for people to beat each other senseless because they have a choice--he doesn't.
I hope the person who wrote 'there is nothing wrong with owning exotic animals' comes back to read this... we nerds in the advanced bioscience community have plenty of reports on where SARS and many new viruses come from: import of exotic animals and the comingling with humans! These wild animals were never meant for close contact with people - outbreak could become a very real epidemic all because our 'intelligent superior race' does not no when to say no or draw a line!
Read this and then decide if HSUS and other groups who work for better animal welfare laws are evil?!
They are trying to stop the slaughter of dogs and cats for the fur you see and hopefully do not by in Macys and JC Penny! Most of it is from China- I stopped buying anything that reads Made in China- heck the U.S. needs our busines more anyway!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=2949776&page=1
I think this is horrible. This man has taken years to train this animal and make it safe for humans to be around and everyone says it is cruelty. Many comments here state that the bears should be left in the wild. I wonder how many of these people have even been in the wild to see animals up close. How many of these people live in an area that is now safe because humans took over the area and hunted the dangerous animals. How many people would like to live in an area wear these animals are running wild with their children playing in the yard. The world is a constant struggle of survival of the fittest. Luckily we are the fittest creatures out there.
I had no intention of going to see this bear. Due to all these freaks crying about it, I will go and pay to see him at his next event.
I would never want to see such an event. I love animals and like to see them were they belong, in the wild. The gentleman that runs the wrestling showed everyone his level of intelligence with his ranting on the evening news the other night. Humane Societies and Animal Protective Leagues are around for one reason and that is ingnorant and unkind people.
This is absolutely abuse. In reading through the comments I saw that noted it said that the bear had no teeth or claws. It was abuse and cruel to remove the bears teeth and claws. Who thought they had a right to do that? When are humans going to learn that animals were not put on this earth for our entertainment! This sickens me.
OF COURSE it's abuse, as well as uncivilized exploitation! Moreover, it's totally pathetic and repulsive that some of us humans have stooped to so low a level that we actually find wrestling a wild animal (or one raised in captivity... it doesn't matter) a form of entertainment! You uneducated and undereducated trailer-trash rednecks and yahoos (of which there are sadly plenty of here in NE Ohio) should really find another form of entertainment to get your jollies from. Do us all a favor and stick to NASCAR or BOW HUNTING!
Man (humans) are without question, the most savage and uncivilized beasts on the planet! What we have done to animals (and each other in war, etc.), in the name of profit, greed, and religion, is beyond unconscionable. Like 'Judas Priest' sings in one of their songs... "Who's the savage- MODERN MAN!"
Stand up for your 'right to arm bears'!
To the Anonymous that called the majority of people here 'freaks'-
I do actually live where I see black bears in my back yard. They are afraid of people, they eat nuts and berries, they run away just like a squirrel would. They are not 'dangerous' with the need to be exterminated. In fact, more people die each year from bee stings then attacks from bears. And by the way- all the bear attacks I see on the news are from bears who are 'trained to be around people' in captive- this creates an insane bear. They are smart animals and being caged with no 'normal bear' mental or physical stimulation creates insanity just as it does to the victims of those real freaks you see on the news that kidnap and cage children for slaves.
Everyone else here is right when they say it is man who has the issues- we are not in fact a superior species. We are most comparable to a lowly locust that devours and destroys everything in it's path. This bear and other endangered species would never be so stupid. Go to any zoo and look at the endangered animals -they all say : due to overhunting and destruction of environment.
I think the 2 or 3 'pro-bear event' posts were done by Sam himself or his family or friends!
LOL- too transparent! Give it up!
This is definately animal cruelty. Would you want all your teeth removed and your fingernails? Read the laws on it. This is not the only animal this guy abuses. Check out his stores. And the person that tried to adopt from the apl. . .there's a reason they did not let you adopt. Dogs can stay outside WITH PROPER SHELTER, and access to clean water and food. Look into the laws on that too. The humane officers at the apl do not set out to take animals away, they try to educate first. The apl is not a prison. Go down and see for yourself. Use some sense people.
PETA kills animals and the HSUS supports the killing of animals. These groups do not support the welfare of animals. Ask the HSUS if they have, run or support any shelters for animals, the answer is NO, but yet they have millions of dollars. PETA, same deal. HSUS does not support our local humane societies or APL.
You MORONS posting about PETA killing animals totally miss the point! You are 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater', so to speak. Given the massive amount of stray animals out there, at least PETA humanely euthanizes some of these animals. Besides their public education regarding cruelty to animals and exposure of those companies which abhorrently and heinously abuse animals is to be COMMENDED! PETA's message is a positive one, and I commend them strongly for fighting for, and being the voice of animals that are abused. LONG LIVE PETA AND GROUPS LIKE THEM!
PETA = (P)EOPLE (E)ATING (T)ASTY (A)NIMALS
This is not entertainment, and i am overjoyed that this poor bear won't have to put on a "show" this year. Animals in the wild do not wrestle for fun, they do not live in cages, they do not travel in trailors, and they do not perform onstage for humans. This is a rediculous arguement... if anyone truely cares about animals and their welfare, they will realize that this is a terrible way for a bear to live.
I dont care if people beat each other up but when it comes to animals i say NO. its not right the way they get shackled up and live in cages if he really wanted to wrestle let him wrestle with another bear!
IMPEACH BUSH!!!
PETA=People Encouraging Terrorist Acts.
PETA=People Eutanising Trusting Animals
www.petakillsanimals.com
To the person who supports PETA, you have no idea what they REALLY stand for. They are NOT the warm feel good group you think they are. PETA is a group of sick morons who have no care in the world for the welfare of animals. They feel animals are better of dead than to have any contact with people. Do the research on PETA on www.petakillsanimals.com to learn more. PETA sucks!!
To the simpleton and obviously biased PETA (and I assume other animal rights organizations) hater... you are completely full of shit and a MORON! It figures you would believe that propaganda website which exists to malign PETA at any cost! PETA is, overall, an EXCELLENT and NECESSARY organization, because they exist to educate people about REAL animal cruelty, which unfortunately and shockingly exists in high numbers still. For example, just here in Ohio fairly recently, there was a case of abuse at a pig farm which garnered national media attention and is going to trial. There is VIDEO EVIDENCE showing abhorrent and beyond barbaric animal abuse, such as smashing piglets against a wall or hanging pigs alive with a rope around their necks! Given your biased ignorance and assinine post, I would a million times over trust and believe in PETA's message and mission, than listen to your reactionary and misleading rants about PETA!
I don't see our cat's canned food on the list
[Fancy Feast]but she got very ill vomitting and having uncontrolled wetting.Vet said track infection and the bill is in excess of two hundred, so far!!
I am an avid animal lover as well. However, I think it is just the most ridiculous form of entertainment. Does it make you more of a man to wrestle with a bear? Give me a break...don't people have better things to do?
Go PETA!!
My cat, Tiger, died of kidney failure about one month ago. He was only 7 and the vet had no idea what caused it. It came on suddenly & tried to clean his system out but he only lasted 3 weeks. I have been feeding him "dry" Iams food and a spoon of "canned" food once a day. I wanted to give my pets the best food available. They are my kids. If I had known this 2 months ago I would have been able to save him.
People get over it!!!!!!!!!!
Man I cant believe how petty people have become......
The man said what he felt....everyone has a right to there opinion.....
Guess everyone should start bashing everyone else for things they say..
I say "GROW UP" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets start acting like adults.....
Did anyone know that the weatherman Aj Colby was gay? Someone over at Fox 8 told me this just the other day. It surprises me that channel 3 would let someone gay do their weather. Does anyone else find this upsetting?
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