Lions Tigers & Bears is hitting the road again this summer to re-home several bears. First stop - The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, California, to pick up Mack, a 3-legged yearling who has spent the last 12 months recuperating under the loving care of the veterinary team at The Fund for Animals.

Mack was brought to The Fund for Animals last July after the three-legged cub climbed a school yard fence and California Fish & Wildlife officials captured him. Reports of a three-legged bear roaming the Angeles National Forest were circulating in the weeks prior to his capture. Upon arrival, Mack - who was approximately 7 months old - was missing part of his right hind leg. The injury, which was thought to be the result of a snare (a trap used to catch animals), was completely healed. Because of his injury, officials at The Fund for Animals, which specializes in rehabilitation and release of wild animals, made the decision that Mack would never be released back into the wild.

Instead, Mack is being transported this week from The Fund for Animals to the rolling hills of San Andreas, and his new lifetime home, the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in Galt, California. There he will have space to roam and play in his own multi-acre enclosure, and receive the specialized care he requires and rightly deserves.

We are proud to report that Mack was successfully transported to his permanent home at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Galt, California. Mack is acclimating well to his new habitat, and is excited to be in a place that he can finally call his own. There he will receive the love and care a little bear needs to live a long and happy life!

Our team is anxious to get back on the road in the coming weeks to provide happy endings for four more bears in need. On behalf of Mack, and all the other animals waiting to be rescued by Lions Tigers & Bears, we thank you for your continued support in our mission to end animal suffering.

Our rescue team has departed for Oklahoma where they will pick up Michael, a nine-year-old black bear from a rural backyard. Michael's owners got him from a game farm at the age of four weeks and had him declawed, not knowing that the procedure is inherently cruel and causes long term detrimental effects. Now that his human family has fallen on some hard times and are no longer able to properly care for him, Michael is in need of a new home. Fortunately, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a reputable sanctuary with Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) verification, has graciously opened their doors and their hearts to take him in. Because bears can live up to 30+ years, Michael will have a long, happy life to enjoy there with lots of love from his new family!

Our next stop will be a defunct roadside zoo in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania called Animaland, to pick-up Shawn and Sandy, two black bears who have spent the last 17 years living in cages with very little room to move around in. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), a tireless advocate for mistreated animals, recently reached a legal settlement to shut the zoo down after conditions there were brought to their attention by some good Samaritans. Animaland was the "home" of roughly 200 exotic animals that were living in deplorable conditions, suffering daily for the sake of profit. Now Lions Tigers & Bears will take Shawn and Sandy and re-home them to the San Antonio Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, a GFAS-accredited sanctuary, where they will finally have a chance to enjoy the long overdue retirement they so much deserve!

Then we head down to Florida to pick up Pepper, a 10-year-old black bear who was captured by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and is being kept at the Central Florida Zoo just outside of Orlando. Pepper was declared a nuisance by state officials after attacking a woman who came between her and her cubs. Typically this results in euthanasia for the bear, but luckily Pepper was spared. Her cubs have since been released back into the wild, but Pepper had to remain in captivity and was moved to the zoo where she has been since late 2014. Although the zoo has been very accommodating in giving Pepper a lifeline, they do not really have the space to permanently house her. Now Pepper needs a forever home where she can thrive again, one she will receive (along with Michael) at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.

Once the bears are all picked up by our rescue team (our hauler can hold up to 6 bears at a time), they'll be making their first drop-off at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. There, Michael and Pepper will meet their new family at a place they will call home for the rest of their lives. Turpentine Creek is very excited to welcome the new additions and have a wonderful habitat waiting for them when they get there!

The last stop on our journey will be Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas. Shawn and Sandy are in serious need of some spoiling and that's exactly what they'll get when they arrive. Here they will be able to continue their lives together, but with proper care and the space to roam around that they had been deprived of for so long. We have done over 150 rescues just like this over the last 5 years alone, and are extremely honored to add these four special bears to the list! During the trip, the bears will be safely contained in our state-of-the-art animal transport hauler which features on-board first aid (for both animals and humans), an anesthesia machine, running water, temperature controls to keep them cool, fans, tools, capture equipment and safety transport cages.

A rescue like this takes a lot of coordination by sanctuaries like ours working together with state officials and other reputable sanctuaries to do the right thing for the animals. The end result is so rewarding because the animals are given an opportunity for a new life. We share in this pride with all of our donors, the true heroes who make these rescues possible.

We'll update you again when our mission is complete! In the meantime, follow us on Facebook for updates and pictures along the way.

Sometimes the hardest part of a rescue/relocation is saying goodbye. Our team just delivered Michael and Pepper to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Even though they're only with us for a brief time, they always manage to leave a lasting impression on our hearts. While Michael and Pepper came to be at Turpentine Creek for different reasons, they will both share the same future together - surrounded by other bear companions and under the care of people who will love and provide for them. The team is now en route to drop-off Shawn and Sandy in San Antonio, Texas before returning home to Lions Tigers & Bears for a well deserved respite!

The Lions Tigers & Bears rescue team has completed the last leg on its mission to re-home four lucky bears. Shawn and Sandy, the two bears who spent 17 years at "Animaland" in Wellsboro, PA, have been safely transferred to their new home at the San Antonio Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation. There they will be able to continue their lives together, surrounded by love, with proper care, nutrition and plenty of space to roam around in. Come on home, Team Lions Tigers & Bears!