Long Island Group To Protest After The Death Of 'Honey' The Black Bear

HOLTSVILLE, NY — Humane Long Island is planning a protest Friday at Brookhaven Town's tree lighting at the Holtsville Ecology Center following the death of "Honey," the black bear whom called it home, after some have raised questions over the circumstances.

The group maintains that it has questions from a number of former employees, who have concerns about why the bear, 27, died and if there was any mistreatment.

No charges have been filed and no official reports have indicate any mistreatment of the animal.

When asked if the United States Department of Agriculture was investigating or if a necropsy would be performed, a spokesman told Patch that officials are "aware of the situation and we’re currently looking into it."

John Di Leonardo of Humane Long Island said the group was in talks up until mid-October to transfer the bear and the preserve's other animals to outside sanctuaries.

Highways Superintendent Dan Losquadro said the bear became incapacitated, was no longer mobile, and could not eat, likely resulting from a stroke, which prompted the center's veterinarian's decision to euthanize her.

"She was well past the life expectancy for a bear," he said, adding that the species does not live long whether in the wild or in captivity where they can live longer. "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. "

"There's really nothing more I can say about 'Honey,'" he said. "We are certainly saddened that she's no longer with us in the facility, and that people won't continue to get to see her and learn."

Town officials did meet with Di Leonardo and his group to allay any fears as to the treatment of the bear and other animals and it was his suggestion that they be transferred to sanctuaries, though that was not agreed to, Losquadro said.

As far as the protest is concerned, Losquadro said, "everyone has a right to do what they want."

"We will obviously just have to make sure people do not have the right to disrupt public assembly, so obviously we'll just have to make sure that anything going on is not disrupting the tree lighting, and people's right to come there and enjoy themselves. But people are free to do whatever they want, and I can't stop them from doing that."

Losquadro did not that the facility passed a recent surprise inspection by the USDA.

Any suggestion that "Honey" and the other animals were not well taken care of is "insulting," he said.

In a post to Facebook on Nov. 22, officials said the bear, along with her brother, "Pooh," who died more than five years ago, were ambassadors for wildlife education for thousands of people who visited the center.

The average life expectancy for a black bear rarely exceeds 20 years, making her longevity "testament to the love and exemplary care she received from our dedicated staff," Brookhaven officials said.

Her death was announced, with officials saying they were "saddened" to make the report about "the passing of our beloved 'Honey,' the resident black bear who has delighted and educated children about her species for more than a quarter century."

The bear was part of a menagerie of injured or domesticated, non-releasable animals, including a Bald eagle and American Buffalo, that call the ecology center home and give an opportunity for encounters that help "to instill a passion for conservation in our next generation," the post read.

"While 'Honey' will be missed and long remembered, the mission of our ecology center lives on," the post concluded.