October 20, 2009

Brutus, the grizzly bear, gives Casey Anderson some love. (Zootoo Pet News Photo Courtesy of Casey Anderson/National Geographic)

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- It’s not easy being a grizzly bear these days –- misunderstood and victim to habitat destruction and random targeting, the Yellowstone grizzly population hovered near only 500 bears in 2007. Yet two years after the grizzly bears of Yellowstone National Park were removed from the Endangered Species List, a federal district judge in Montana has ordered the bears –- populating regions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho –- back on the list.

Aside from this recent victory, the grizzly population also has another factor working in their favor: a grizzly ambassador named Brutus, with talent and charm to spare.

Raised in captivity since he was two weeks old, Brutus, now 800 pounds, resides at the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a nonprofit wildlife facility near Bozeman, Montana. He may not be George Clooney, but Brutus is paving his way out of the Montana wilderness and into Hollywood, one clawed paw at a time.

His National Geographic television show, Expedition Grizzly, has been on air since the spring, and with faithful naturalist –- and surrogate father -– Casey Anderson by his side, Brutus has more TV shows, a book, and even potentially a movie in store for the foreseeable future.

Anderson adopted Brutus when he was two weeks old; the cub was born into a wildlife facility, which ironically offered the captive bear only a death sentence, given its propensity to keep the grizzly population at a low, manageable level. Anderson, a Montana native and longtime wildlife rescuer, scooped the cub up and took him home, allowing him to sleep in a wicker basket at his bed side. Brutus, then as small as a squirrel, required around-the-clock bottle feedings. Anderson and a small team of friends were up to filling the parental roles young Brutus needed.

The established bond deviated from the typical boundaries of caring for an exotic animal, but in this situation, Anderson says, he knew Brutus was there to stay.

“There was no reason to prevent the bond because we knew that he was going to be with us the rest of our lives and we could see the value in having a bond with him, so there was a lot of general handling from an early stage,” Anderson told Zootoo Pet News. “From the beginning he was a very engaging bear and enjoyed human contact. Physical interaction and training started right away and that was very essential – and then he just kept on developing around it, to the point where he would demand it, a bit.”

When Brutus grew too large for his basket, he began to sleep in a dog kennel; then, when he was around 50 pounds, he moved to the couch.

Anderson established Montana Grizzly Encounter –- a facility that now houses five resident grizzlies and is open to the public –- nearly eight years ago, in order to provide Brutus with the kind of natural habitat he deserved.

All of Montana Grizzly Encounter’s bears come from “unfortunate captive situations” and will never be released into the wild. The center gives them a chance to romp, play and live like regular grizzly bears; in return, the bears provide the public with a much-needed education on wildlife and the grizzly population, in particular.

“The grizzlies have a lot of things working against them right now so it’s really important people know what they are up against, and what they can do to help,” Anderson explained. “Habitat loss is a huge problem in this area and urban expansion is happening at such a rapid rate.”

People’s misconceptions about grizzly bears often result in unwarranted deaths, said Anderson, who mentioned a man who recently shot a mother bear who stood up on her hind legs from some shrubbery.

“Here’s a man who shot and killed this bear out of fear; bears will just get up like that to look around and see what is going on, not necessarily out of aggression,” he continued. “So this bear dies, and her three cubs will now die as well, and for what? Educating people in New York City about grizzlies is one thing, but talking to people here in Montana, who would see these grizzlies in their backyards, potentially, is so important.”

Anderson has recently taken his wildlife crusade to a much more public level; his National Geographic show “Expedition Grizzly,” delves into both his unique relationship with Brutus and his larger work with preserving the wild populations. Two other National Geographic shows -– one about wolves, and another, “Expedition Kodiak,” detailing Anderson’s efforts of standing in as a mother bear, teaching Brutus how to fish and perform other survival tasks –- are in the works. Anderson is presently writing a book about his life, and mentioned a potential feature film down the line.

“It was really a childhood dream of mine to take this experience and knowledge and try to give back to the wild, and there is no better platform to do that than television,” Anderson said. “It’s fun to do something that you love but at the same time it’s great to think that you are hopefully making a difference.”

And it’s all because of Brutus, the bear Anderson refers to as “his best friend,” and “the golden child,” who actually stood in as his best man at his wedding a few years ago.

“Brutus is the man, the one who has helped me get to where I am today,” Anderson explained.

Theirs is a unique, father-son like partnership; when Brutus was young, he used to jump into Anderson’s lap when he became afraid. Now nearly eight years old, Brutus still needs his dad, to a certain extent –- Anderson recalled when they recently saw a flock of wild turkeys walking down the street and Brutus, bewildered by the mysterious sight, tried to hind behind Anderson and clutched his leg.

“It was just so ridiculous, this big grizzly bear, afraid of some turkeys,” Anderson said.

He is the only one who has physical contact with Brutus, who is, after all, a wild animal. They used to wrestle together, but a few broken ribs and one ruptured spleen placed a halt on that activity in more recent years.

“It’s just a size issue,” Anderson explained.

Brutus loves the camera, Anderson says, and even when it stops rolling on set, will still perform funny tricks to make people laugh. Anderson says he doesn’t fear Brutus lashing one day and hurting him, because he understands his boundaries and respects his personal space. He does, though, always ensure that he is the only one who has direct contact with Brutus.

The duo don’t spend as much time together as they once did –- Anderson divides his time between Montana and Hollywood, California, and Brutus generally remains at the facility in Montana. Yet Anderson says their bond is as strong as ever, and expects them to have many good years together down the road, as “old arthritic men.” Anderson is 34, and grizzlies in captivity can live to be in their 50s.

“People ask me that since I’m in L.A. for a few months at a time, ‘Will Brutus forget you?’ And it’s really a ridiculous question, because it’d be like forgetting your dad if he were gone for a few months. He’s older now and more mature and it’s time that we both enjoy away from each other,” Anderson noted. “But that doesn’t mean that when we get together, it’s not like it’s always been. We’re both adults and it really works out kind of great.”

To learn more about the Montana Grizzly Encounter, visit GrizzlyEncounter.org