Campaign ManagerCommunication Is The Key
“Our daily interaction with our bears is communication- loving, petting, they thrive on that physical contact.” However, she continued, “We never forget that they are bears, they are bears first, even though we share our lives with them, we respect them for what they are and we want them to live like a bear and that is why we built the Bearadise Ranch,”- Monika said. The bears get all the diet they need, they are healthy and happy and very comfortable with the Welde family.
Lucy And Tootsie
Lucy and Tootsie are 8-year-old female bears and the really cute bear on top of the stone is Misha. She is one of Kenai’s sister and is 5 years old. Jhonny IV said, “To us they are very safe. They are not keen on strangers, which is understandable, we have raised them so, to us they are very very sweet.” The fact that the bears adapted to and love the Welde family is the proof that no matter how strong or dangerous an animal is, it always responds to love and attention and Monika and Jhonny IV made sure there was no dearth of that.
Fred And Ginger
These are Fred and Ginger, they are both 23 years old- European Brown bears. Jhonny IV said, “We had both of their parents and their siblings and when they are born they could fit in the palm of your hand. My mom hand raised both of these from cubs.” Fred weighs around 800 pounds and Ginger weighs 400 pounds. A full grown male healthy bear weighs around 700 pounds and female around 350 pounds. Fred’s weight is the proof that the family is taking good care of the bears.
Never Any Incident
“My bears have never attacked anybody, we never had any incident with the public or with ourselves,” said Monika Welde. It is amazing how the mother and the son got these wild beasts to love and respect all humans even though they are not comfortable with strangers. All their food, mate and love requirements are fulfilled in the Bearadise Ranch so they need not attack any human or other animals for that matter. But Monika herself, do have some scars.
Bears After All
In response to the question whether she herself has been attacked by any of her bears or not, Monika said, “I do have a few scars on me from their claws, that is natural, they are very powerful animals.” However, she went on to say, “They’ll lick us and kiss us and hug on us and touch us. I have worked with bears for 37 years and I have all my fingers so it’s a good track record.” Not taking the marks giving these animals as a sign of their savagery and being practical about it what has kept Monika keep going.
Goofing Around
The bears have ample natural space in the Bearadise Ranch, they also have accessibility to pool so they can be found rolling around in the grass after a dip in water or simply goofing with each other. However, seeing Jhonny and Monika every day and playing and spending time with them is the highlight of their day. The love, attention, and cuddle they get from these members of their family is irreplaceable. Some people might object to this domestication of wild animals but the truth is the Welde family doesn’t force it on them, the bears respond to their love.