ShreyaBearadise Ranch
The first bear in the Welde family was introduced in 1946. It has been 91 years now and it is now a tradition for the current family members to be taking care of the bears. The Bearadise Ranch in Florida is a huge open space, suitable for bears’ habitat. Till now the Welde family has provided a home to polar bears, black bears and grizzly bears in the last 90 years. Currently, it is Monika Welde who is the President, Owner and Senior Trainer at the Bearadise Ranch. She says, “My bears are a part of my family,” and after seeing their pictures together, we are left in no doubt that she treats them all lovingly.
A Tragedy Too Soon
Monika is actually Jhonny III Welde’s wife, which sort of made her an outsider in the family. The family tradition of having the bears became dicey when quite recently Jhonny III, the caretaker and the patriarch of the family died of a heart attack just after he turned 60. Monika said, “I know the bears miss him, they do notice his absence.” She continued, “but our son and I decided to continue the family legacy and go on for my husband.” Monika decided to not let anything happen to the Ranch and she along with her son Jhonny IV who is 27 years of age, decided to take the responsibility.
Hand Raised 14 of ’em!
The Bear Ranch is Jhonny IV’s inheritance and Monika has been taking care of these bears for 37 years now, but how do they manage it? Monica has been in the Welde family for 37 years and she has handraised the 14 bears who currently live in the Bearadise Ranch. When asked if she prefers bears more than humans she laughed and said, “Yeah, sometimes I do.” Well, there is got to be something really interesting and inspiring about these bears. She informed that “Over the course of 91 years some bears have been born in the family, some have been adopted.”
The Heir
Monika, in an interview, said that “My son has been raised with the bears, he has been interacting with them since he was a child,” and Jhonny IV went on to confirm saying that, “I have been around the bear since I was 3 years old… They are like family to me, I see them every day so they’re just my siblings basically.” He told his routine, “I go out and take care of the bears, feed them, clean them, interact with them a little bit, you know, talk to them.” He further told that they “let them out in the habitat so that they can run around, play… be bears.”
Missing The Teacher
The unexpected and sudden death of Jhonny III left his son in a lurch. He emotionally accepted, “My Dad was my best friend, he taught me everything I know. We were extremely close and I plan on carrying on his legacy for as long as I’m alive.” He went on, “My mum is also very close to the bears, they are her family, for my mom and dad they are everything to them. She loves the bears very much. I am very proud of her for carrying on my dad’s legacy with me, it’s not easy but we are getting through it.” The way the bears look happy in their company, it can be safely assumed that they are doing great. Now it is time to meet the 14 beary beasts.
Time To Meet The Grizzlies
The oldest bears in the Welde family are 23 years old and their youngest ones are 5. This is Kenai. He is a 5-year-old male grizzly bear. He was adopted by the Welde family about 3 years ago and he is NOT full grown yet. Imagine if he is this big right now, how huge he will be in half a decade! He loves attention and honey. He is a sloppy kisser and likes to lick honey when it is drizzled on his paw but it is never enough for him because he is always craving for the new bottle. Since he loves attention, Monika makes sure to visit him daily.