Casey’s best animal friend turned out to be slightly less exotic, if no less formidable: a grizzly bear. “From my very first encounter, I’ve been fascinated by this amazing animal. The more I learned, the more I wanted to tell their story. And the little-known tale of these Yellowstone grizzlies is truly one for the ages. But my passion goes beyond observing these bears in the wild. You see, my feelings toward grizzlies are a little bit different than most people. Maybe that’s because my best friend weighs in at, oh, about 800 pounds.”
The story began when Casey was out in the woods one day. He spotted a bear cub, apparently abandoned. There was no sign of mama bear but even so, most people would have skedaddled rather than risk being wrong. But not the “animal magnet.” He decided the thing to do was take the cub in and care for him. This was the beginning of an unusual friendship. For a few months, the bear, named Brutus, lived in Casey’s house, but the time did come when the bear had to be moved outdoors. This didn’t bring an end to their friendship, though. In fact, Brutus served as best man at Casey’s wedding!
His friendship with Brutus also inspired Casey to establish the Montana Grizzly Encounter Rescue and Educational Sanctuary. Brutus, who’s a very well-behaved bear, is the star of the sanctuary’s educational programs.
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