Casey volunteered to help the zoo with the care of the newborn bear cub because there was nothing to feed the babies at the facility. The man had a farm and lots of land, so he had no problem with the new resident being a nuisance to anyone. He began nurturing him like a puppy and then decided that Brutus was perfectly fine to stay on the farm.
Casey Andersen deals with animals professionally and has a lot of experience.
He has long worked as a caretaker at various wildlife parks and has helped large zoos nurture cubs that were abandoned by their parents for various reasons.
That’s why he didn’t hesitate to take home the little bear cub from the zoo. At the age of a few months, Brutus lived right in Casey’s house, gradually getting used to people. But then the mature animal was moved to the open space of the farm.
After a year, Brutus had grown into a clumsy but large teenager.
The enclosure was removed; Casey’s idea was to rely on the fact that the bear had been used to seeing humans since childhood.
«You see, Brutus is a grizzly, after all. I’m well aware of the nature of these bears and keep the necessary distance,» was Casey’s response to criticism from people who had quite rightly expressed concern about the idea of keeping a bear in the house.
Despite his already grown-up size, Brutus has retained a love for people. He is so calm that Casey even took him on a popular TV show, after which people from all over the country started sending the man money to keep the bear.
«I saved him as a bear, and now he’s saving me from being broke. Seems fair to me,» Casey says.
The man expects their unusual friendship with the bear to last at least another 40 years. Grizzlies easily live to such an advanced age.
