Chinese man thinks Asian black bear cub is a puppy and raises it as a family pet
Owner discovered his mistake only when animal grew into a 176lb adult
A Chinese man who raised an Asian black bear as a pet after initially thinking it was a puppy handed it over to a local animal welfare centre last week after a social media post brought his mistake to the attention of the authorities.
Police found the 80kg (176lb) bear in a cage at the man’s home in rural Yongsheng county, in southwestern China’s Yunnan province, at the end of last month, China News Service reported on Monday.
The owner, who was identified only by his surname Yang, was quoted as saying he found a “doglike animal” in April 2015 while he was foraging for mushrooms in the mountains near his home.
He took the cub home and “raised it lovingly” as if it were a dog, and realised his mistake only when it grew to a such a huge size, the report said.