For nearly two decades Ricki, a 215lbs female black bear, has been inside her cage at Jim Mack's Ice Cream, Cones and Clubs in Hellam Township, York County. "Her living conditions are just not up to par," said Kelly Bennett who has been trying to find Ricki a new home for the last two years. Earlier this week she sued Ricki's owner James McDaniel Jr. to try and get him to relocate the bear to a sanctuary. "Everything is all expenses payed. The sanctuary is equipped to handle and care for Ricki the way that she needs to be cared for at this point in her life," said Bennett.
However not everyone agrees. Marie Bodien has lived next door to the ice cream parlor for the last forty years and say McDaniel is doing just fine caring for Ricki and the other animals at his business including emu's, geese and goats. "The animals are not mistreated in anyway. They're well fed, their cages are kept clean and Jimmy takes good care of the animals," said Bodien. However Bennett thinks Ricki's cage is too small and she's prepared to go to court. The lawsuit says one of the reasons why Ricki should be relocated to a sanctuary is because the food that people can give her from nearby vending machines slides into an area in her cage that is near the location where she usually goes to the bathroom.
There's no question that Ricki has been a popular attraction for the last eighteen years that she's been at Jim Mack's Ice Cream, but she could live another ten to fifteen years. Bennett hopes that time will be different from the life she knows now. "Granted she's captive, but she's still a wild animal with instincts of a wild animal and that doesn't just go away," said Bennett. We tried to contact McDaniel for a comment, but were unable to reach him. Legally he's still able to keep Ricki at his business and has not yet taken Bennett up on her offer to relocate the bear free of charge.