Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary — Attraction in Minnesota

My husband and I had an incredible experience at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. It had been about 30 years since I had visited Orr, MN. I vaguely recalled a local story of a man who use to go to grocery stores and restaurants to get donations of discarded food for the area's black bears. When I asked about the story on this recent trip, I learned that the man had passed away, but his legacy was not only kept alive but had gotten better! His humble property became a black bear and wildlife sanctuary. You are the spectator and they are in their natural habitat. Brilliantly designed for the safety of the visitors and bears alike. Having a number of interns, always within arm's length, to answer questions, tell of their experiences or explaining the behavior of the bear(s,) made the experience even better. My husband asks I left the sanctuary knowing a lot more about black bears, fact from fiction. I definately recommend this experience for anyone of nearly any age. The staff is very accommodating and the site itself is very comfortable to...

I met Vince in 1973 when my brother purchased 40 acres from Vince. Vince at that time was very attached to his pet bears. At first Vince lived in a old log cabin with wood slats leaned up against it so when a bear came and knocked them down trying to get in they would get scared. Vince had a man who worked for him named Vic and he lived in an old trailer on Vince's road about .5 miles from Vince and my brother had the little gray logging shack that was next to the first gate they installed. Vince later moved a 70' trailer onto his property and had his friend Vic dig out the whole foundation with a shovel, 4 hours per day until he could lay a block foundation. The last times I saw Vince was when he moved off his land and into a home either Orr or Cook, MN. Many great memories we had...

I unfortunately do not think the close interaction (within 10 ft) of the feeders and the bears are advised by experts. This seemed like a tourist attraction and not associated with any state park, government entity, or university. The bears have lost all natural instincts and have basically become zoo or circus animals. If this constant and copious feeding stopped, the bears would need to all be euthanized because they have no fear of people and would cause harm and would not be able to find food. The use of the term "magic circle" should have been a red flag to the informal pseudo science used to justify this attraction. This was the Tiger King documentary of...