Russian Couple Lives With A 300lb Bear Pet Since They Adopted Him 25 Years Ago

When it comes to domestic pets, cats, dogs, and birds often come times but for this Russian couple, their domestic pet is not one you usually see. Their pet is a bear weighing over 300Ib named Stepan. It may sound unconventional – not to mention dangerous – but for Svetlana and Yuriy Panteleenko they couldn’t fathom life without this bear.

Stepan was found in the woods near to their home after his mother was killed by poachers. The Russian couple adopted him when he was just three months of age, a little fur ball. 25 years later, standing a gorgeous 2.1 meters tall.

Now, Stepan not only grows up to be a healthy and huge bear, but he is also loving and helpful. He’s even well behaved enough to sit with Svetlana and Yuriy to watch TV in the evenings. He’s been known to occasionally help around the house by watering the plants in their garden. In spite of people’s typical impression of bears, Stepan is very gentle and he never harms the couple. Naturally, taking care of a 7ft, 300lb bear is no cake walk, it requires a lot of time, effort and money. For the meals alone, Svetlana and Yuriy feed Stepan 25kg of fish, vegetables and eggs.

The couple and the bear grew so fond of each other that the Panteleenkos finished a course on ‘animal training’ just so that the Russian authorities would allow them to keep the bear. Given the fact that bears live an average of 25 years, provided they survive the dreadful hunters, it’s needless to say the couple have been exceptional parents.