Oswald's Bear Ranch

Yes we are actually feeding and petting a real live bear! This is Oswald's Bear Ranch 

in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Mr Oswald started this place many years ago when he 

bought a bear and later started taking in rescued bears. In 1997 he opened this place 

to the public. It is the largest bear (only) ranch in the US with 29 black bears currently. 

Asher had the perfect shirt for this place. It's a bear holding a sign that reads, "Please feed the bears."

There are four separate enclosures for cubs, yearlings, older males and older females.  Double fences separate people from the "carnivores" as the signs kept reminding us.

 All of the bears here have NEVER been in the wild. They have all been raised by humans and "socialized" however they are still dangerous animals. We stayed for feeding time and were shocked to watch a man enter the enclosure on an ATV, dump a mixture of noodles, veggies, and who knows what, then drive out, leaving the bears to devour their dinner.