Yekaterinburg man raises nine bears at animal rescue center
To Kirill Potapov, predators are like children — never mind their sharp teeth
Near Yekaterinburg there is an unusual animal rescue center. Its owner, Kirill Potapov, has spent several years helping rare predatory and herbivorous animals every day: wolves, wolverines, lynxes, pumas and even bears.
Even celebrity guests visit the cubs. The photo shows a happy Jeff Monson
Among his charges are cubs that were born in captivity and ended up with troubled families. The bear rescue story began with Potapych, who died in 2024. He still holds a large place in Kirill«s heart.
We gathered Kirill«s story in a single video
He now raises eight bears: Masha, Cody, Harley (we wrote about them last year), Flora, Potapych Jr. and Jeff (who were left in a stroller for him), as well as the fluffy Himalayan bears Forrest and Himalai.
Although many of Kirill«s pets have had difficult lives, he always manages to establish contact with them. The secret is simple: plenty of time, gentle treatment — and the animals, even predators, begin to trust him.
«Predatory instincts are not innate in large predatory mammals,» Potapov said. «I spent a lot of time and effort on this, and there is no room for error: if you do something wrong, you will later pay with your life. To them [wild animals raised in the forest] we are like a plastic bag. They can tear us apart in a matter of seconds, tear an artery — and that«s it, you fall right there.»
Before entering an enclosure, Kirill checks the animal«s mood. If it is bad, it is best not to disturb the animal: «I know them very well, I spend all my time with them. It»s not like they suddenly turn wild at the snap of a finger. It«s like if I were sitting and suddenly ran, jumped over the fence and ran away. They are all sensible, you can see how their mood changes: by their eyes, by their movements. It»s exactly the same as with people.»
We told Kirill Potapov«s story in this piece. His work inspires many — for example, this year talented director and cameraman Steve Kroschel moved to Sverdlovsk Oblast from the United States; he has cared for wild animals all his life. He told E1.RU why he had to leave his home and how he continues to do his favorite work at the rehabilitation center.
Famous athlete Jeff Monson also admitted that he had always dreamed of living near bears. For a joint project with Kirill, he decided to move to Yekaterinburg from Ufa.
We collect all the news about the Yekaterinburg man with a big heart in a separate topic page.
