Man lives with bears for two years thinking they were dogs

You would think that the distinct lack of barking would give it away, but a man in China only realized after two years that the “dogs” he adopted were actually Asian black bears.

According to UPI, Wang Kayui was traveling through Vietnam in 2013 when he purchased two small bear cubs, which he then brought back to his home in Yunnan Province. Wang described the “dogs” as well-behaved with large and curious appetites, but never thought they might be bears instead....

Since Wang kept the bears inside his home, his neighbors never saw them—although they did hear strange noises from time to time. Those who knew the bears said they were especially friendly with people and that Wang would groom them every day. As they grew up, however, the bears started exhibiting behavior much different from a dog’s.

Occasionally the bears would sneak out and harass local pets, even snacking on any chickens they could catch. Despite this, Wang continued to think of the bears as rather large dogs until he came across a leaflet regarding endangered animals from the local Public Security Bureau. Realizing that the bears were actually a Category 2 protected species, Wang gave his pets up to local authorities, which then took the animals to the Yunnan Wild Animal Rescue Center. According to chinanews.com, the two young black bears are in good health and will eventually be relocated elsewhere.

It is not known if Wang faces any charges for the possession of a protected animal, but it could have been very dangerous for him to continue keeping the animals as they got older. Asian black bears can grow up to 300 pounds and are noted for being more aggressive than American black bears. However, they are also one of the easier bear species to tame and are commonly found in circus acts as performers or even as exotic pets.
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