Record Breaking PA Bear ‘Tamed by Resort Employee’
Residents, animal lovers outraged after ‘mascot bear’ killed legally
by Tim Hallman
Editor, CoudyNews.com
Last week we reported on a record-breaking bear that had been harvested in Pennsylvania. The bear may possibly be a new world record and surely a new PA state record, weighing in with an estimated live weight of 879 pounds.
In our earlier report I had indicated that the bear may have possibly been a hand-fed tame bear by the name of ‘Bozo’. Now, those reports from local residents near where the bear was killed seem to be true.
The Pocono Record reports that the bear was a common sight for local residents and tourists alike, and was hand-fed since being a cub by Leroy Lewis, a long-time groundskeeper for the Bushkill Resort.
This from the Pocono Record:
On Sunday, almost a week after the 17-year-old bear, known as Bozo, was legally killed by hunters, people who work on this strip said that the animal’s death marked the end of a unique era and that Bozo’s death was not only a blow to the man who tamed and befriended it, but also to them.
“It’s just devastating,” said John Sullivan, a desk clerk at Fernwood Resort, where Leroy Lewis, 71, worked for decades as a groundskeeper and where he became known as the guy who befriended and helped raise a bear.
Lewis fed the bear pies, doughnuts and other human foods since it had been a cub. Bozo subsequently became used to being in the presence of humans, letting humans pet it. Lewis was known to show staff at the resort pictures of Bozo as it grew.
“We were all stunned by the news,” Sullivan said.
“Bozo was, like, our mascot,” said Christine Branigan, a waitress at Petrizzo’s, an Italian restaurant next to the Fernwood Resort. Petrizzo’s was one of Bozo’s favorite haunts; he would often go there and eat leftovers that were placed in an area out back.
According to the PA Game Commission the hunters harvested the bear legally and did nothing wrong. Despite this fact, residents say they are deeply saddened.
The kill has ignited a storm of controversy. Some argue that Lewis, who was cited last month for feeding the bear, should not have done so. They argue that his actions may have led to the bear’s ultimate demise. Others argue that hunting is cruel, and should be illegal, and that this particular incident is proof of just that.
According to the Center Daily Times, the hunter who killed ‘Bozo’, David Price, says the entire affair has been upsetting. He says the kill would have been the pinnacle of his hunting career but is now tainted.
Read entire story from the Pocono Record here.
