The eventual idea for Bearadise Ranch Bear Preserve begins in Trondheim, Norway in 1926 with a young kid named Johnny Welde. With a fascination for bears, he ran away from home and joined the circus, the one place where he knew he could find them. He began to develop an act and eventually made his American debut with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1948.
Eventually, he ended up in Tampa, Florida. The bears performed in nightclubs, theme parks and, of course, the circus. It wasn’t long, however, before Hollywood took notice. The bears were featured in movies for Walt Disney, Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox, and in popular television series, including The Lucy Show, Beverly Hillbillies and Lassie. Decades later, Johnny’s grandson and his wife, Monica, settled in Myakka, Florida and started the bear preserve.
The Bearadise Ranch presentation was entertaining and educational and yes, I think it’s worth your time, but calling it a “tour” didn’t seem particularly apt. I don’t honestly know what could be done differently to make it seem more “structured,” but once you’ve seen the first bear consume honey from a bottle and take dog biscuits from Monica’s hand, there’s nothing left but to ask questions. The problem with that was the man who kept asking questions she’d already answered. And then people kept wandering off to sit in the shade or check out the makeshift gift shop/dining area. There was no attempt to keep everyone together as a group. It seemed haphazard. Even so, how could I not be impressed by the bears?
The first bear we met was Lucy. Lucy is a 14-year-old grizzly. Monica fed her honey as she told us about her journey to the ranch, and answered questions about her natural habitat, her health and her personality. Interestingly, the bears like to have the honey drizzled on their paws. They then lie down and contentedly lick them clean. And if you give them a dog biscuit, they will commonly place it on one paw and consume it from there.
Next door to Lucy is Carol. She’s a European brown bear. Carol is 29 years old and was born on the ranch. According to Monica, the bears at the ranch can live up to about 38 years old because of the great care they get. Food is never scarce, predators aren’t an issue (although seriously, what predators?) and they get regular veterinary care.
The bears are fed fruits, veggies and fish. Monica said they are given occasional chicken but never red meat. She didn’t elaborate but I can imagine it might not be a great idea to get them accustomed to red meat if you’re the red meat traipsing into the enclosure every day.
We then met the 20-year-old Syrian brown bears, Bruno and Bambi. Bonafide movie stars, they’ve been featured in Tim Burton’s Big Fish and Disney’s Brother Bear.
It was nice to know the bears have a big pond where they can wade in and fish, and giant air-conditioned enclosures to stave off the heat and humidity of Florida summers. Even better, they’re rotated around the habitat to keep them engaged in their environments. I was happy to hear they’re not stuck in one spot for the rest of their lives.
Someone in our tour group asked if any Florida alligators had ever gotten in the pond. Monica said only once: the alligator slithered into the pond but the minute the bears made an appearance at the water’s edge, it huddled near the fence and eventually disappeared. I looked that up because I wasn’t entirely convinced an alligator would be intimidated by a bear. The consensus was that an alligator can’t match the sheer power of the bear.
Your $5 feed-the-bears fee (if you choose to add it on) gets you a long stick with a dog biscuit on the end that you poke through the fence. You may think the bear looks ferocious, but that expression was in response to Monica’s command “Smile.” (I obeyed, too).
The tour is outdoors and it’s hot. You will need sunscreen, a visor, and water. Although it only covers a small area, it’s in the sun, so go prepared.
Monica is a great ambassador for the bears and can answer any question you put to her. I was particularly pleased to hear she’s never been attacked. She said the worst thing she’s ever had was a couple of stitches on her arm from a bear pawing her for more snacks. That prompted someone to ask if she trims their claws. She assured us that was not a part of their care. First of all, they like to climb trees and they wouldn’t be able to do that effectively without sharp claws and secondly, who’s going to hold them still to file? Uh . . . no.
- 6908 245th St. E., Myakka, Florida
- 941-322-2462
- Opens at 11:30 AM (only Thursdays and Saturdays)
- Tours are by reservation
- $15 ($20 if you opt to feed Bruno and Bambi)
Lisa Browder 
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