Florida family raising 14 bears in their back garden

A daring mother and son have hand-raised 14 enormous bears in their back garden – and can’t imagine living without them.

The Welde family have looked after grizzly bears, black bears and polar bears for the last 91 years – using their license to provide for those in need of a home.

And now Monica Welde, 57, and her son Johnny IV, 27, spend their days rolling around with bears that weigh up to 1,000lbs in the heart of Bearadise Ranch, Florida.

 

Monica Welde, 57, and her son Johnny IV, 27, (pictured) spend their days rolling around with bears that weigh up to 1,000lbs in the heart of Bearadise Ranch, Florida

The Welde family have looked after grizzly bears, black bears and polar bears for the last 91 years and Johnny IV (pictured) sees the bears as his siblings 

The Welde family have looked after grizzly bears, black bears and polar bears for the last 91 years and Johnny IV (pictured) sees the bears as his siblings 

Last year the family tradition came under threat when Monica’s husband Johnny III died of a heart attack just after he turned 60.

Devastated by the loss of the ‘patriarch’, the family’s passion for bears could have been extinguished for ever.

But with the support of her son, Monica managed to battle on and continue the family tradition of caring for their beloved pets.

‘I know the bears miss him, they do notice his absence,’ she told Barcroft TV.

‘But our son and I decided to continue the family legacy and go on for my husband.’

The family currently have 14 bears and Monica says she sometimes even prefers them to humans.

Johnny III’s grandfather introduced bears into the Welde family in 1946.

Since then, their brood have appeared in Walt Disney movies and been trained for scores of television shows. 

Johnny IV first came into contact with the potentially dangerous animals when he was just three years old.

‘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 said.

The bears live in the back garden of the family home where their habitat is made up of a spring pond, pools, grass and trees.

Johnny IV and his mum play with the bears every day in the back garden where their habitat is made up of a spring pond, pools, grass and trees

Johnny IV and his mum play with the bears every day in the back garden where their habitat is made up of a spring pond, pools, grass and trees

Monica says they have never attacked anyone since they've been living at their ranch, but she and her son (pictured) still have to take care when handling the huge beasts

Monica says they have never attacked anyone since they’ve been living at their ranch, but she and her son (pictured) still have to take care when handling the huge beasts

And Johnny IV and his mum play with them every day. 

‘They are like family to me, I see them everyday so they’re just my siblings basically,’ he said. 

‘To us, they are very safe. They are not big on strangers which is understandable. We have raised them, so to us they are very, very sweet.’ 

Monica says the bears thrive on physical contact and their relationship with them ‘is based on mutual love and respect’. 

She says they have never attacked anyone since they’ve been living at their ranch, but the pair still have to take care when handling the huge beasts.

Monica (pictured right with her son) says she will carry on taking care of the bears for as long as she is physically able to

Monica (pictured right with her son) says she will carry on taking care of the bears for as long as she is physically able to

‘I do have a few scars from their claws. That’s natural, they are very powerful animals,’ said Monica. 

‘But as far as stitches go, I have worked with bears for 37 years and I have all my fingers so it’s a good track record.’

Monica says she will carry on taking care of the bears for as long as she is physically able to.

And she has every faith that Johnny IV will carry on the Welde family name when the time comes.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk