Bear named Meatball blocked from Colorado sanctuary

ALPINE, Calif. — A Colorado wildlife refuge that hopes to house a California black bear known as Meatball has filed a lawsuit to try and overturn a regulation that prohibits wild animals from being kept at sanctuaries.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado recently challenged a state law that says no animal taken from the wild can be kept at a refuge.

Meatball was captured twice earlier this year after foraging for food in suburban trash cans and taking a dip in a pool in the foothills above Los Angeles. The 400-pound bear is living in a San Diego County rescue facility.

The 5-year-old bear, given his name because he stole packaged meatballs from a refrigerator, was headed for Colorado until wildlife authorities there invoked the state regulation.