Living With Grizzlies
Missi Pyle Anderson, Wife of Casey Anderson
The first question a person asks me when they find out I’m married to a man with a grizzly bear for a best friend, is usually, “Have you seen Grizzly Man?”
Which, if you don’t know, is a documentary made by Werner Herzog about a man named Timothy Treadwell who followed grizzly bears in Alaska for 10 years. He documented himself. And eventually, along with his girlfriend, was eaten by said grizzly bears.
Um. Scary. Right?
So you’re probably wondering. Am I worried about me getting eaten? Casey getting eaten?
Well, no. I am worried more about getting diabetes or cancer from all the redvines I ate from the craft service table.
The thing is, Casey has been working with wild animals his entire life, very specifically grizzly bears, for a large portion of it. He is very, very UNinterested in becoming “friends” with other bears... The relationship he has with Brutus is a very unique situation. Watch the show on May 3rd and you’ll understand.
Casey has a remarkable amount of patience, which you need when you are in close proximity to a large bear. And he is super safety-conscious and wouldn’t ever put himself, or anyone he works with, or in my case, loves, in harms way. So, I am really not afraid.
Am I afraid for him? Well, he is totally uninsurable. After all, he does spend a good portion of his time hanging out with an 800 lb bear. So, there is that. But, Casey is extraordinarily passionate. To have a passion that you would protect and die for is such an integral part of what it means to truly be alive. And that is what drives Casey. I would rather be married to a man who truly goes out there and LIVES as opposed to one that dreams of living but lives in fear of that dream. I mean, honestly, that’s sexy. Right?
In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that I would, indirectly, become stepmom to five grizzly bears. I never dreamed that I would get to be close enough to this incredible species to get a grizzly kiss, at a safe distance of course. And with my hat and scarves removed. Because Brutus loves hats but more specifically loves to remove them from my head!
I have an incredible life, which involves getting the opportunity for ME to do something that is really a life out of the ordinary. And allows me to be spokesperson for an incredible species.
^M
