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

HOLTSVILLE, NY — Humane Long Island is planning a protest Friday after the death of "Honey," the black bear who called Brookhaven Town's Highway Department's Ecology Center 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."

The town has not disclosed the details of the bear's death.

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.

The protest will be held at the town's ecology center during the annual tree lighting.

Brookhaven town officials have not confirmed the meetings.

Patch has reached out for comment on the protest.

In a post to Facebook on Nov. 22, the highway department, which runs the center, 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 in a Facebook post, 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.

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