Stepan the Gooberish Grizzly Bear Celebrates His 30th Birthday Alongside His Adoptive Pawrents, a Pair of Risky Russians Who Found Him Orphaned in the Woods as a Cub

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Jan 28, 2023 7:00 PM EST

When you think of outrageously enormous, exotic pets (like lions, tigers and bears), your knee jerk reaction might be to think of Russia. Well, there's a reason for that. The laws are lax and the people have no fear of getting their heads ripped off by enormous predatory mammals. One Russian couple, in 1993, proved that stereotype right when they started their own bear rescue, launching their life-long obsession with grizzlies when they found their first, adorable cub. 30 years ago, Svetlana and Yuriy found a helpless 3 month old grizzly bear cub, abandoned in the woods. Fearlessly, they brought him home, nursed him back to health, naming him Stepan.

Now, after an amazing lifetime together, Stepan the house bear has proved to be one of the most docile, trainable, and adorable pets known to man. Stepan has been in several movies working with actors and has never attacked or bitten either of his owners. He is an exemplary citizen in their home and has helped rehabilitate other rescue bears by socializing with them. Stepan eats a whopping 25kg of fish, vegetables, and eggs every day and is happily and healthily celebrating his 30th birthday as an honorary member of the family.

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