Sometimes after a long, hard day you just need a good hug! And that’s not just true for humans, but our cuddly animal pals too.
The Orphaned Wildlife Center (OWC) in New York State shared a video featuring one of their gigantic rescue bears getting a big hug from a loving handler.
The OWC was founded by Susan and Jim Kowalczik, two dedicated animal lovers! They take in all kinds of bears, even these massive Kodiaks and Grizzlies!
Apex predators? Nah. These are just big teddy bears.
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Our furry friend getting a great big bear hug in the heartwarming video is Jimbo, the largest bear to ever live at OWC!
The 1500 pound Kodiak was about twice as big as any other bear at the facility – but a big softie.
He had a particularly special bond with Jim. That’s right – Jim and Jimbo!
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The pair were inseparable until Jimbo tragically passed in 2018.
“It is still difficult to adjust to life without him.” – OWC
All these bears live great lives with Jim and Susan, who love them all like family. There is an entire page of their website dedicated to little bios for each of the bears currently at the facility.
It includes little heartwarming comments about their favorite foods, and who their best bear friends are at the facility. Too cute!
And of course, while the bears love to give giant bear hugs to their loving humans, they also cuddle together.
Especially during the winter.
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If this video of Jim and Jimbo having a good ol’ fashioned bear hug is any indication of how well the others are treated, we can be sure they’re in good hands.
The OWC Instagram page is immortal proof that Jim didn’t just love to cuddle Jimbo! There’s photos of him getting cozy and taking naps with the other gentle giants too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVyWZTB805/?utm_source=ig_embed
It’s so beautiful to see passionate people who are so dedicated to their work. Especially when it involves caring for animals in need. This is the good news the world needs to hear right now!
And believe it or not, Jim and Susan are the only core staff at the entire facility. Though, maybe the bears help out sometimes too.
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They currently have about ten bears all living together… and one duck! They’ve also helped smaller animals like foxes and squirrels when they were in need.
Most people associate bears with the Northern US and Canada, but of course that isn’t the only place they live! One of the most exotic species of bears at OWC is the Syrian brown bear.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8-AKxVhPOA/?utm_source=ig_embed
They have since gone extinct in the Middle East, and came over to the US as part of a breeding program that aimed to save the species. It ended up falling through, and because the bears could not be released into the wild here, they were rescued by Jim and Susan.
The situation with the Syrian brown bears endangerment is tragic, but if you’re worried about these bears being bred in captivity, fear not.
They’re not bred in captivity, nor put on display.
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The OWC doesn’t puts animals on display for the amusement of random strangers *cough* Tiger King *cough*.
Occasionally, private tours are arranged, but focus on educating visitors. It’s not a zoo scenario and the animals best interest is put first.
Below is a blurb about the situation from the OWC themselves!
“The goal is to release all the animals, but in cases where they must spend their life in captivity we absolutely do forge a bond and a relationship with them. Most zoos or other wildlife centers can not do so because of the staff turnover. It takes a great deal of time for an animal like a bear to be accepting and trusting of you. But because our center is so small (just Susan and Jim mainly) we feel it is absolutely in the animal’s best interest to trust us.
“In this way if we have to move them from enclosure to enclosure, or if we have to handle them for medical treatment, injuries or examinations, we never have to rabies pole them, terrify them, or chase them with prongs to try to subdue, capture, or tranquilizer them. Bears also do NOT do well with tranquilizers. They often do NOT recover. So we mitigate the risk to them as best we can and having a relationship with them helps them to have a better life in the long run!”
These guys seriously love what they do and their work is so important! It keeps the bears healthier and happier. They get to live out their best lives at OWC with Jim and Susan.
Check out the video below to see Jim hugging big ol’ Jimbo. The love they share is like nothing you’ve ever seen before!
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