Bear Crawl: Bears, Etc. Raising Money For Bear Sanctuary

MONTGOMERY, TX — The illegal exotic pet trade is a multibillion-dollar industry, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and Kati Krouse of Montgomery is trying to do her part to curb it in Montgomery County.

Krouse, co-founder of the nonprofit Bears, Etc., has a vision to establish a bear and exotic animal rescue sanctuary in Montgomery County. The sanctuary would provide a permanent safe haven for bears and other captive-raised exotic animals that have been displaced from the exotic pet trade or retired as performance animals. It also would raise awareness of the illegal exotic pet trade and provide a place for visitors to learn and connect with nature.

Krouse has worked and volunteered in exotic animal rescue and wildlife rehab for 20 years, and with Bears, Etc., she wants to create the first bear-centric, state-of-the-art sanctuary in the United States.

"Of all displaced exotic animals, bears are the least served," Krouse said. "Most big cat sanctuaries don't take bears."

Krouse, who is the board president of the Texas Black Bear Alliance and chair-elect of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, said Montgomery County is a great spot for a bear sanctuary because of its proximity to both Houston and Texas A&M University, which has a renowned veterinary school.

Krouse said the biggest obstacle for starting the bear sanctuary is money, since it's hard to rescue and care for bears without money, but it's hard to raise money without any bears.

Krouse estimated that a 20-acre plot of land in Montgomery County and constructing the main building necessary to get the proposed sanctuary operational would cost roughly $1 million.

She's hoping to get about $50,000 of that raised this weekend.

Bears, Etc. is hosting its inaugural Bear Crawl on Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for the sanctuary and has participants in eight Montgomery County breweries, wineries and distilleries. For $50, participants will receive a souvenir wine glass, a wristband and tasting tickets to the following locations:

• Whitely Vineyards
• Blue Epiphany Winery
• H-Wines
• B 52 Brewery
• Southern Star Brewery
• Frankenboltzzzz Brewery
• The Ferm Meadery
• Bartlett's Distillery

In order to prevent drinking and driving, Bears, Etc. partnered with Texas Brewery Tours to provide transportation and Fairfield Inn and Suites in Conroe off Interstate 45 and FM 3083 for special rates. Reservations for both must be booked by Wednesday.

The Bear Crawl is a fitting name for the fundraiser, but Krouse said the idea for a bar crawl to raise funds for a bear sanctuary is a perfect fit from a business sense as well, with people starting to visit bars and restaurants more readily in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bars and restaurants are widely considered to be among the most-affected businesses from long shutdowns and capacity restrictions in 2020.

"Partnering with local breweries, wineries and distilleries makes my heart happy because we're giving back to the community," Krouse said.