Update: PETA has released a news release stating Dillan is being moved to the PETA- accredited The Wildlife Sanctuary in Colorado. Orville Spangler, Union County Sportsmen Club president, said in another interview that Dillan was going to be moved to an undisclosed sanctuary. Reports also say the obese bear was removed from his small enclosure on Monday, January 20th. PETA will provide photos and video of Dillan.
Dillan, a 30-something obese Asiatic bear living in a cage at a sportsmen’s club in rural Pennsylvania will be leaving for a sanctuary next Thursday.
“The bear will be moving next Thursday,” says Orville Spangler, president of the Union Club sportsmen’s club, Millmont, Union County. Spangler will not give any further details about Dillan’s move.
Spangler said PETA didn’t win. They didn’t get what they wanted- Dillan himself. PETA wanted to move Dillan to a sanctuary they run in Colorado. Spangler said the Department of Agriculture has agreed with the arrangements.
Dillan is an overweight bear confined to a small den at the sportsmen’s club since 2008.. At that time, Dillan was moved from a previous rescue to his current home. It was last year when a local citizen contacted PETA to ask them to fight to remove Dillan from the club. PETA put up billboards on major routes to showcase the overweight bear’s case. Last week, actor and game show host Alec Baldwin penned a second letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf asking him to intervene on Dillan’s behalf.
Dillan has been suffering from severe dental disease according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection reports. He is missing several teeth, has a broken tooth, recessed gum line and a discolored tooth. He also suffers from arthritis for which the club stated they would do nothing to treat it. The club has said they haven’t been comfortable with sedating him to get his teeth fixed. The report states Dillan is in pain from the dental issues and his condition has deteriorated since the 2017 report.
Dillan has also been seen repeatedly rocking back and forth since 2017 which the inspection reports says can signify psychological distress or pain. His caretaker at the club confirmed this.
The sanctuary told the rural club which boasts 4800 members from 35 states that they would pay for the expenses for Dillan’s move to Colorado. Spangler said he has chosen another sanctuary and the Department of Agriculture has agreed to the new location which remains undisclosed. PETA doesn’t know where Dillan will be moved.
Spangler claims they received a ton of backlash after word spread among animal activists when a petition asked for Dillan to be moved. The club president said they were barraged with phone calls including a bomb threat.
Despite the removal of Dillan to a sanctuary, the members of the club aren’t happy with the situation. They felt Dillon was happy at the club and he will be greatly missed by the community and the many school groups who visit him.
The Chamber of Commerce was concerned they were seen as unfriendly towards animals. This was a major reason for the decision to finally move Dillon.
A bear living in a small enclosure is certainly not ideal for any bear A bear needs to roam around and allowed to be a bear. It isn’t fair for a bear or any large animals to be caged their entire lives. Bears are wild animals and no matter how docile they become they still need to be the animal they were born to be.
Some fear Dillan will not adjust to his new surroundings or may not survive the trip.
Approximately a dozen animals will continue to live at the club which includes a white-tailed deer, an overweight bobcat, rabbits, birds among others.
Dillan will be transported Thursday, January 23rd. Good luck Dillan!
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
PETA sucks. They kill animals. For them to tell others what to do is hypocritical. They kill pets. They are a disgrace to this profession. I am happy Dillan is going to live in a new home. He deserves it.
What happened that PETA got their way in the end ? I thought Dillan was going to an undisclosed sanctuary. How did PETA get their way?
PETA, Shut up!
Dillan needed to go. He didn’t deserve a life cramped in a small cage. Why do people think that keeping a large wild animal like a bear or lion in a small area is good for them? What are they thinking? Or what aren’t they thinking. They should be caged in a small area and see what it’s like. Dillan should be a lot happier now.