Hicks: Cherokee bears are fine

Cherokee leaders to PETA:  back off our bear zoos

By Becky JohnsonDespite public pressure from animal rights activists, including a visit from legendary game show host Bob Barker, Cherokee leaders do not plan to address the living conditions of captive bears at three small zoos in Cherokee.

A campaign to shut down the bear zoos in Cherokee has largely targeted Chief Michell Hicks. Hicks says he supports the bear zoos, however, and disagrees with claims driven by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that the bears’ conditions are inhumane.

While Hicks agreed to meet with Barker and PETA reps last week, he warned them not to protest outside the bear zoos again without permission from tribal officials or they would be kicked off the Cherokee reservation, an option in the tribe’s corner given its status as a sovereign entity.

While Hicks has made his stance clear, the elected tribal council members—not the chief—hold the power to pass new laws and ordinances. Out of the 12 tribal council members, five responded to requests for comment. All five said that tribal council has no plans to shut down the bear zoos or to impose tougher standards.Comment:  Hicks and company seem unwilling to distinguish between closing the zoos and improving the bears' condition. Arguments such as "They have been around forever" and "We are a sovereign nation. We can do what we want to" are irrelevant to the issue raised by Bob Barker and PETA.

For more on the subject, see Parachuting into "Barbaric" Cherokee Land and Barker Calls for Tourist Boycott.