5 Pet the bears, don't feed them.

• Position: STATELINE - Brief article

It's illegal to ride a manatee in Florida or sell a box turtle in Indiana, but you can pet a bear cub in Michigan. A new law there allows people to interact with bears up to 90 pounds and 36 weeks old. It was written for Oswald's Bear Ranch, an Upper Peninsula rescue operation and tourist attraction that for 15 years has funded itself by charging visitors to pet and photograph the cubs. But last year, wildlife officials said ranch owner Dean Oswald was violating the Large Carnivore Act, which prohibits public contact with large wild animals. The new measure, introduced by Senator Tom Casperson (R), amends...