by It’s not unfair to say that grizzly bears often inspire some ᴀᴡᴇ and ꜰᴇᴀʀ in a lot of people. They are large, powerful, and majestic creatures that invite curiosity, but many people don’t know a lot about them. Because of their massive size, they have often been depicted as monsters that could be very ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs to human beings.
One man named Casey Anderson is hoping to change that narrative and has taken big steps to do that by appearing in a video with a grizzly bear cub he ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ named Bella. Bella steals the hearts of the audience with her adorable reaction to having her feet tickled.
Casey Anderson, National Geographic TV host, naturalist, filmmaker, and founder of Montana Grizzly Encounter, introduced a grizzly named Bella. He’s been spending a lot of time with the ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ bear cub, and apparently, one thing he’s discovered is that she loves being tickled on her paws.
Bella was found alone in the wilds of Alaska. What happened to her mother is unknown, but it was clear that she needed to be ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ. A young cub without her mother to protect her would be defenseless and ᴘʀᴇʏ to larger animals if left out there.
She was taken to the sanctuary that Anderson established, and so he took her in and began to take care of her. Once she was safe in the sanctuary and settled down, Anderson began building a strong bond with the adorable grizzly bear.
During their playful tussle, Anderson is seen rubbing Bella’s feet. “Tickle, tickle, I got your toes,” he says in the video.
“We play this game of space,” Anderson explains. “So, here I am, a frail, 200-pound guy, I could never even compete, but if I can make them believe that I will never give them space and that I will take the space away from them, they think “Wow, this guy’s pretty big and tough.”
Anderson hopes that the sanctuary can provide education to people about these animals and help reduce some of the ꜰᴇᴀʀ surrounding them. His hope is that through education and exposure to grizzly bears that people will be able to transform their attitudes toward these creatures into ones that highlight respect and awe. It’s also heartwarming to see the bond that has grown between Anderson and the cub he ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ.
