Watch This Guy Provide Comfort To His Best Mate Bear

Whatever you do, do not try this at home folks. Check out this video of Jim Kowalczik hanging out with his 1,400 Kodiak bear friend named Jimbo. The pair have a long history as companions so Mr Kowalczik thought nothing of giving his friend a big bear hug when the fella was feeling a little blue. Jimbo has reached the grand old age of 24 and was born in an animal park in California. Mr Kowalczik adopted Jimbo after the park closed.

Born in captivity

Jimbo could not be released into the wild because to begin with he was born in captivity and secondly, he also suffers from a leg injury. Recently the 10-foot-tall bear began to suffer from an undiagnosed illness and after visiting a vet, Jimbo became agitated. That is when Mr Kowalczik decided to step in and provide some comfort by showing Jimbo some love.

Working with bears for decades

Mr Kowalczik is a retired officer from the Department of Corrections and together with his wife have been working with bears for decades. The couple established the Orphaned Wildlife Centre that currently serves as home to 11 bears and a number of other smaller animals. The Kowalczik’s hope that the smaller animals can eventually be rehabilitated and returned to the wild. The bears on the other hand will either remain at the Centre or find new homes at other sanctuaries. Jimbo is known for being extremely friendly and will spend the rest of his days with the Kowalczik’s. He may well live into to his late 20’s or even early 30’s and in an interview with National Geographic, Mr Kowalczik says Jimbo is just part of the family now.