The man who adopted an orphan bear and they walked together for over 20 years.
In the 1990s, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Talabshoh Sheikhov learned that a baby bear had been left alone. To stay with her he made a very unusual exchange: he gave a goat and took the small animal home. He named her María, inspired by a Mexican soap opera, and from that day on he treated her like one of his 13 children.
He bottle-fed her, slept near her, and eventually became her inseparable companion. People in the city got used to seeing them walking together, getting on buses or posing for photos. Even María learned to carry her owner on her back and entertain children with small acrobatics.
His story became part of the local identity: a man and a bear who seemed inseparable. In 2013, Sheikhov left this world at the age of 80, and just two months later so did Maria. The city still remembers their unique bond and many propose erecting a statue in their honor.
Credit to the rightful owner..