Dogs and cats are without a doubt the most popular pets. However, there are some people who prefer to keep more unusual animals as pets. In several states across the United States, people can now legally own exotic animals. Iguanas, exotic birds, tarantulas or scorpions. These are all unusual pet choices, but nothing compares to the extraordinary pet of these couple in Russia.
Svetlana and Yuriy Panteleenko have a cuddly bear as a pet (I bet that tarantula doesn’t sound so surprising now, does it?) The couple adopted Stepan the bear when he was a 3-month-old orphaned cub.
Stepan was found by some hunters in a forest and was in terrible condition. Nobody thought the bear would survive, but the two decided to give him a chance and took the bear to their home.
Surprisingly, the cub recovered, so the couple made the decision to offer him a permanent home and adopted him. Twenty three years later, Stepan still lives with them in their home in Moscow, Russia. He is now a part of the family, and the three even sit down in the evenings to watch television together!
Even though Stefan has never lived in the wild and is domesticated, a bear’s instinct can never be fully shut down. Remember that bears are top predators that, therefore extremely dangerous. Even so, the couple said they have no worries regarding Stephan’s wild instincts. “He loves people and is a sociable bear – despite what people might think, he is not aggressive at all,” said Stefan’s human mom. “We have never been bitten by [him].”
