Man Spotted Sleeping Among Four Huge Bears Unharmed

Sleeping with your best buddies – what could go wrong?

The heartwarming (or hair-raising?) photo was captured at the Orphaned Wildlife Center in Otisville, New York. The man in the picture is Jim Kowalczik, who co-founded the center together with his wife Susan Kowalczik. Already in 1996, the pair were working as licensed wildlife rehabilitators, but it wasn’t until 2015 when they rescued an injured black bear that the center officially began its mission.

Since then, the couple have saved many other orphaned bears. While Susan had worked with bears for her entire life, it was something rather new for Jim when they first started. But thanks to his kindness and sincerity, he has no trouble winning their furry friends’ hearts. As you can see, they all adore him. A lot.

Jim takes care of the rescued bears, day by day. He feeds them, bathes them, plays with them, and as you can see, sometimes they even go for a quick nap together. They appreciate and treasure each other like a real family.

If that wasn’t enough, the four permanent residents – two Kodiak bears and two Syrian brown bears – get belly rubs before going to bed, where sometimes Jim joins them just to make them feel more comfortable. Some of them won’t even go to sleep until they get their belly rubs. Just look at this:

Beautiful animals cared for by beautiful people – the heroes we all need in this world!

Sources: 1, 2