Posted on 03/07/2013 11:06:10 AM PST by marthemaria
Grizzly man Mark Dumas and Agee the polar bear do everything together.
They swim together, wrestle together, roll in the grass together... even nap together.
They have been polar pals since Agee was six weeks old and the colossal mammal even lived in Mark's home as a cub where she played with the family dogs and was bottle fed. Mark, 60, said: 'If anyone else tried this they would end up as Agee's dinner. ‘I have worked with bears in this way for over 40 years, so I can read Agee's body language and know how to behave safely around her.'
And as this incredible video shows the fearless bear handler from Abbotsford, British Columbia, is inseparable from his polar pal.
‘The only people in the whole world she likes are me and my wife. Mark and wife Dawn, 60, train the 60-stone (800lb) friendly beast - the world's largest land predator - to star in high-budget TV adverts.
She has even performed in movies like 'Alaska' in 1995 when she was just a few weeks old.
With his incredibly intimate bond Mark wrestles on the grass with Agee, kisses her, puts his head in her huge jaws, and even bear hugs her as she rears up on her hind legs to over seven feet.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
One day the bear will eat this guy.
This will not end well.
Daily Mail now hires U.S. J-school graduates?
why is Joe Walsh posing with a bear?
Does the bear remember birthdays and special occasions?
Yeah, it's pretty decent odds this guy will get another thread on FR in the near future and the name 'Darwin' will come up.
From what I’ve read, it’s possible to have a bond with big cats, black bears, grizzlies, etc., which have been raised from cubhood. I’m NOT saying it always works out well, because it often doesn’t-—just saying it’s been done.
But that kind of thing is supposed to be impossible with polar bears; for some reason, they have a complete aversion to human contact. I’m reading the article, but I think it’s a matter of time before someone is killed.
I predict this is all they will find of him.
The bear should eat the author—grammar in the title is horrible.
Remember after one of those Las Vegas tinkerbells got mauled by a big cat there were all kinds of stories about how the cat “loved him and was really trying to protect him when it grabbed his head in its jaws and dragged him across the stage.”
I wouldn’t be playing with a large carnivore... The bear may be living in captivity, not know wild behaviors, and be raised to be a performer-but it is still a BEAR, and humans can be on the menu. I’m guessing that the owner/trainer never allows anyone to piss off or stress the bear when it performs, and above all, he never, ever lets the bear get hungry...
This will end up on Animal Planet’s “Fatal Attractions” in a year or so. A lot of those people SWORE their “pets” would never harm them.
Saw an episode where an idiot was “bonded” to a pet hippo, another to a white tiger.
Idiots all, eaten all!!
Hey Snowball, stop playing with your food.
The only reason this bear has not mauled or killed the owner is likely because it has been raised in captivity, and I’m guessing everyone is very careful with the bear. Just the same, you never know what will set a wild animal off at any given time-they do not make good pets..
Yep. It’s an old story.
‘I have worked with bears in this way for over 40 years, so I can read Agee’s body language and know how to behave safely around her.’
I’ve heard similar “famous last words” before.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.