Svetlana and her husband Yuriy Panteleenko from Russia proudly call themselves the parents of Stepan, a 23-year old cute, cuddly and welcoming bear.
The couple adopted the animal when it was only 3 months old. Stepan was found in the woods by local hunters after his mother abandoned him. As soon as Svetlana and Yuriy Panateleenko saw the fluffy wild animal, which was also quite wounded, they knew they were going to take care of him for as long as they can.
Twenty-three years later, everything’s the same, except for Stepan’s weight, which is now over 150 kg. His diet includes approximately 25 kg of fish, eggs and various vegetables. For a snack, he has a bowl of porridge and his favourite dessert is condensed milk.
Stepan also likes spending the afternoons indoors. He drinks tea with Svetlana and watches TV before sleep.