Amid the twinkling lights and festive cheer at Brookhaven Town's tree lighting ceremony, a darker narrative gripped the community following the death of "Honey," the resident black bear of the Holtsville Ecology Center. In a report by Patch, animal welfare advocates spearheaded by group Humane Long Island raised unsettling questions about the circumstances surrounding her demise, questioning whether the 27-year-old bear had been subject to mistreatment within the facility.
Allegations against the Holtsville Ecology Center, as detailed by the New York Post, include neglect in the form of broken and rotten teeth, chronic urinary tract infections, and a disturbing pattern of swaying behavior, characteristic of stress in captive bears according to "The Bear Whisperer" Steve Searles; Honey's stroke and subsequent euthanasia on November 22 only added fuel to the already simmering accusations, former employees Cayleigh Kunnmann and Kathleen Conelly claimed of a history of poor conditions and inadequate veterinary care at the facility, run strangely by the Town of Brookhaven's Highway Department. The bear's health issues, compounded by the contentious methods allegedly used to urge the ailing animal into her night enclosure, cast a long shadow over the center's claim of providing sanctuary to its non-releasable animals.
The defense, led by Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, paints a contrasting picture, denouncing the backlash as "insulting" and unfounded; he asserted that the animals were tended by a licensed vet and pointed to a surprise inspection by the USDA, which the facility passed flawlessly, in a statement obtained by Patch, Losquadro emphasized that the bear's age and health were determinants of the decision to euthanize, stating, "She was well past the life expectancy for a bear in captivity, she unfortunately, at a very old age, developed some very severe health problems."
Humane Long Island refuses to retreat quietly, arguing that foreseeable sanctuary placements await the Ecology Center's inhabitants; John Di Leonardo, president of the animal welfare group, led a protest on December 6th amidst the seasonal celebration to draw attention to the plight of the facility's denizens, and according to the New York Post, activists clamor for the recognition of this dumpster fire of a refuge transformed into a zoo. The collective voice of protest aims to shift the center's paradigm from custody to compassion, seeking a leap from the callous to the caring, from confining enclosures to suitable sanctuaries that enrich the lives of once-wild animals.
