September 10, 2000

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWBERRY, Mich. -- Most people would fear a bear. Not Dean Oswald, a retired Bay City firefighter and professional boxer who has lived in the Upper Peninsula since 1983.

Dean Oswald, 60, and his wife, Jewel Gillespie Oswald, 60, raise black bears at their bear ranch eight miles north of Newberry in Luce County.

"I've always liked bears," he said. "I bought my first bear in 1984, but they're kind of like kids -- first you get one, then you have two, then three."

The couple now shares their property with 17 American black bears.

The Oswalds received so many questions about their brood of bears that in 1997 the couple opened Oswald's Bear Ranch to the public. The ranch charges $8 per carload for a chance to view black bears in a natural habitat. Students on school field trips are admitted free.

"It's more like an education for them. And I've had so many people stop here before, wanting to feed them, that I thought I might as well open the ranch up to the public," he said.

American black bears are among the most common species of bears. On average, they grow about 5 feet long and are the smallest bears of North America, weighing from 200 to 300 pounds.

Not all black bears are completely black. Some have black coats with brown noses and white patches on the chest. Others, called cinnamon bears, have a rusty brown coat.

The ranch's two fenced habitats include trees, swimming pools and dens for the bears who roam freely within. The habitats are enclosed within a 10-foot tall, electric fence that keeps the adult bears from the viewing public.

Black bears may run as fast as 25 m.p.h. when they chase prey and are skillful tree climbers. Black bears have severely injured and sometimes have killed campers or travelers who feed them, according to reference books.

To keep a bear in captivity requires licensing by the state, and bears have to be purchased from a licensed state or federal breeder, Dean Oswald said.

"They are a danger -- depends upon how you treat them. I turn my back on my bears, no problem -- I carry a fly swatter with me," he said.

Bears are dangerous, even to one another. Oswald's pride and joy, a 1,000-pound male named Tyson, died July 2 after fighting with another male. Oswald thinks Tyson died of a heart attack. Bears may fight during mating season.

Still, they are beautiful animals to watch. Visitors are able to walk around the entire perimeter of the habitats to view the bears. Dean Oswald said a filmmaker from the educational Discovery cable channel is shooting a documentary film about the Oswalds' black bears.

"You want to view them front a distance, and normally when you meet a bear, it will run upon contact with people," he said.

"But the most dangerous situation is probably when you stumble upon a mother bear with her cubs."

The cubs at the Oswalds' ranch are kept in pens with concrete floors, enclosed with heavy chain links due to the cubs' climbing skills. The Oswalds have to take such precautions because cubs are excellent at digging and climbing.

Dean Oswald feeds his bears a diet of mixed meat, vegetables and fruits. Much of the food comes from area restaurants, with Oswald growing some grain for them.

Oswald's Bear Ranch is open from the end of May until the end of September.