Wildlife officials call this “bad behavior.”
It isn’t. It’s bear behavior.
“Mistreating Mother Nature is like being ugly to your mama”
– Dolly Parton
Submit Public Comments by November
You can submit your feedback using any of these methods:
- Online: Through the NCWRC Proposed Regulations Page
- Email: Send to
regulations@ncwildlife.org(make sure to include your name, county, and state of residence) - Mail: Send written comments to: Rulemaking Coordinator
1701 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1701
This summer, Dolly’s story showed how much our community cares about black bears. It also showed what happens when bears learn that our homes, trash cans, and porches mean food. Now we have a real chance to help prevent the next Dolly.
Read and share my open letter to the Asheville City Council.
Help us keep the momentum, and get lasting change, while we have the ear of decision makers. Small actions make the movement.
Call Gov. Stein Now: Thank him for pardoning Dolly and ask that she & Wendell go to Colorado.
(919)814-2000 Press #5
While the governor has not made a public statement, little birds have shared that his office and team were aware of our campaign, and collaborated with the Wildlife Commission on a non-lethal outcome.
Let’s thank him, and keep asking for Dolly and Wendell to go to Colorado to The Wild Animal Sanctuary.
Sign the Petition
Pardon Dolly: Give Asheville’s Bear a Second Chance
To: Governor Josh Stein and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
We, the undersigned residents and friends of western North Carolina, respectfully call on Governor Josh Stein to grant a pardon to Dolly, the black bear currently facing euthanasia in the Asheville area — and to direct wildlife officials to pursue relocation or sanctuary placement instead.
National Precedence
Other communities have successfully saved bears with similar human habituation, and it was all thanks to the Governor. Let’s make sure Josh Stein knows this is something our community strongly believes in, and ask for his support and compassion!
Why Name a bear Dolly?
Help us save Mama Bear Dolly, proudly named for the late and loved Dolly Parton. We’re asking the Governor’s Office to Pardon Dolly. Like Dolly Parton, this black bear is a native of these mountains. She did not choose the circumstances that brought her here, but her story does not have to end because of them. One act of mercy, one decision to choose compassion over destruction, could change the course of her life.
I get that not everyone will approve of naming a black bear who is being painted as the villain after a beloved American legend. But, I think Dolly Parton herself would. In fact, I think it’s the best way to honor her. She was more than her music, her philanthropy, and her books—because those were just the symptoms of something deeper. Her compassion, humility, love, kindness, and generosity are who she was, and from there she chose to live a life that made others’ lives better.
Born in the heart of Appalachia, Dolly Parton never forgot the mountains that raised her, and she carried with her a deep love that led her to support monarch butterfly habitiat, bald eagles, homeless domestic animals, and native wildlife.
Growing up in poverty as one of 12 children, she was given opportunities, encouragement, and second chances that helped her build an extraordinary life. Yet even after finding success, she spent decades giving back, helping children, families, and communities because she believed in kindness, compassion, and lifting others up.
Dolly Parton showed us that where you start should not determine how your story ends. She taught us that small acts of kindness can create lasting change. Today, we ask our leaders to honor that spirit by giving Dolly the bear a second chance.
Media Contact / Inquiries: Hannah Furgiuele
