Mother and daughter have a teddy bear's picnic with real-life bear
IF YOU go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise – as a mother and daughter enjoy a real-life teddy bear’s picnic.
The photo-shoot was part of an anti-hunting campaign
Much like his cartoon cousin Yogi, this brown bear called Stepan loves nothing better than a picnic basket packed with bread, cheese and fruit. Stepan was rescued from hunters when he was a cub and has been raised in captivity as a vegetarian.
He weighs around 50st and stands 7ft tall but his owner, circus trainer Yury Panteleenko, has made sure he is friendly with humans and would never be tempted to bite them.
Stepan the bear was raised as a vegetarian
Nervous model Irina eventually became comfortable with the bear as the shoot went on
Bear Bernardo
The 7ft tall bear weighs in at 50st
The pictures were taken by Russian photographer Olga Barantseva in woods outside Moscow. Model Irina was initially nervous about posing with the bear on a picnic blanket. But as the shoot went on she become so comfortable with him she asked if daughter Katya could be in the photos too.
The bear is sweet but he is a big animal and gets tired very easily
Olga, who has photographed Stepan before for an anti-hunting campaign, said: “This bear is so tender with the models that their fear disappears very quickly. Even little Katya, after a bit of hesitation, was happy to pose with him.
“Stepan doesn’t know the taste of meat. He loves mozzarella cheese and biscuits. He is in constant communication with people and knows what kindness and care are.
“The shoot took about 30 minutes altogether. The bear is sweet but he is a big animal and gets tired very easily.”