Animals

Meet Tuffy

Tuffy is an American black bear (Ursus americanus) born in 1997 and who spent the majority of his life in poor conditions as a privately owned pet before being confiscated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture in March of 2014.  Noah’s Ark was notified of his situation by a large sanctuary in California who was determined to help him although they had no room to rescue him.  It took nearly six months for Tuffy’s legal situation to be resolved before he was granted release to Noah’s Ark and if we had not taken him, he would have been euthanized. Unfortunately, he exhibits typical stereotypic behavior common to bears kept in small areas for long periods of time.  This includes pacing in circles, as this behavior is what he has done for many years to cope with the stress of his living situation.  With time, adequate space, and enrichment this behavior has somewhat decreased, while it will probably never fully disappear.  Although an elderly statesman these days and nearly blind, Tuffy loves rolling in fresh woodchips, and is less shy than he was years ago thanks to his forever loving home at Noah’s Ark.