The Simpsons' creator helps save bears from roadside circus hell

The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon has helped PETA activists free a pair of black bears from a caged prison.

The terminally ill animator, who has dedicated his life to helping animals, helped fund a PETA campaign to buy the bears from a roadside zoo and rehouse them at a Colorado sanctuary.

In moving video footage posted online by PETA bosses, the creatures are relocated from a prison-like cage with a concrete floor to a beautiful, spacious new home.

A PETA spokesperson tells WENN, "The two Himalayan black bears were cautious at first. But once their paws touched fresh mulch for the first time, they were romping like cubs. They also enjoyed feasting on fresh fruits and vegetables and bathing in tubs of water."

The big move went down last week (ends05Dec14) and now the bears are guests at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk says, "Sam Simon's compassion and determination has given these bears a life and made it possible for them to enjoy a beautiful habitat that couldn't be further from their former barren concrete prison."

Earlier this year (14), Simon helped PETA activists close down one of the largest chinchilla fur farms in California and begin an adoption process to find the creatures new homes.