For a pet, your typical grandma might have a cat or a lap dog. Bonnie Hart, a truck driver from Texas, isn’t your typical grandma. She’s got two bears and a tiger! Just feeding them costs anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 a month, so it’s definitely a labor of love. Bonnie is well-aware of the potential dangers posed by her pets. She keeps them in secure enclosures and has tranquilizer guns on hand. When she’s alone with them, she carries a Taser. “Nobody’s going to get hurt, not unless you just climb into the pen and be stupid.”
The white tiger, named Anushka, was just a cub when Bonnie received her as a gift. She’s grown up, but as Bonnie puts it, “I’m mamma, she’s baby. I can hand feed her, I can pet her, I can do whatever I want with her.” Anushka scarfs down anywhere from 14 to 20 pounds of meat each day!
Pebbles and Bam Bam are black bears. Bonnie was sitting on the porch one morning drinking her coffee when she saw one of her dogs being followed by what she thought were two other dogs. She was shocked when she realized they were bear cubs, but she took them in anyway. She’s tried feeding the bears fish, including salmon, but they prefer anything sweet: fruit, berries, candy, marshmallows, and of course, “They’ll almost mug you for honey.” While Pebbles can be a bit cantankerous, they’re both quite well behaved. “These bears have been around a lot of people… You can get in there and love on them, you can pet them. I’ve socialized them a lot.”
Bonnie’s grandkids may think she’s a little crazy, but there’s no question she finds caring for these animals highly rewarding. “It makes you have responsibility. It makes you realize that life is precious and you should enjoy every moment of it.”
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