The only polar bear in history to live with people as a pet (8 photos)

Surely many remember the touching cartoon from childhood about the friendship of the polar bear Umka with a human child. Surprisingly, a similar story happened in the real world, only the bear and the person in it are already quite adults.





First acquaintance



In the city of Abbotsford (Canada), in the province of British Columbia, live the Dumas spouses - professional trainer Mark and his wife Dawn. 23 years ago, Mark "adopted" a newborn bear from the zoo named Angie. But this act was not a sudden whim: the man, who had long experience of communicating with bears, knew exactly what he was getting into - that one day the cute plush baby would turn into an adult and dangerous predator. And yet, how did it happen that Mark and his wife have not yet become the bear's prey?





A formidable animal or a family member?

Polar bears are the largest land predators on the planet. The weight of adult animals can reach 800 kg, they pose a serious danger to humans. Despite their apparent clumsiness, these animals are capable of instantly catching up with a runner, attacking suddenly and leaving their prey no chance of survival. With just one swing of its paw, a polar bear can decapitate a person, but usually shows aggression only in response to clearly provocative actions.



“Angie (the bear) and I are very close, especially since over 40 years of experience working with bears, I have studied all their habits and body language, so I know how to behave with Angie so that she does not see me as her prey,” says Mark. An important role was also played by the fact that Angie came to the man’s family at a fairly early age, and the couple raised the animal as their own child.



The bear loves to play, allows herself to be petted, and Mark can easily allow himself to put his head in the mouth of his pet and arrange a mock fight with her. Most of all, Angie loves to swim together in the pool, but allows such "liberties" only to Mark and his wife. "Any other person who tried to pull off such tricks would definitely become a snack for her," confirms Mark.



"Eiji has lived next to me all her life. I will be there until she is gone or until I am gone,” the man shares his revelation. “She does not need to forage for food every day, all the products that are brought to her are of exceptionally high quality. She loves to travel and is always happy to see that I take out the trailer and prepare it for the trip.”



The average lifespan of a polar bear is from 15 to 20 years, but in captivity and with good conditions this figure increases significantly - the oldest polar bear living outside the wild was about 42 years old. It is highly likely that the polar bear and her owner still have many happy days ahead of them.