Bart the Bear 2 and Honey-Bump
Two interior Alaskan brown bear cubs, orphaned when their mother was killed near Paxson, Alaska, were delivered April 26, 2000 to Doug and Lynne Seus, founders of Vital Ground. The two cubs were unable to survive in the wild without their mother, as brown bear cubs usually stay with the adult female until they are two or three years old.
Bart the Bear 2 (affectionately known as "Little Bart") and Honey-Bump made their Hollywood debut as the offspring of "Archie" (played by Tank) in Dr. Dolittle 2. They are also the obvious stars of the Animal Planet specials GROWING UP GRIZZLY (2001) and GROWING UP GRIZZLY 2 (2004).
While siblings in the wild would normally go their separate ways upon becoming independent from their mother, Little Bart and Honey-Bump remain fast friends, often wrestling together, chasing one another, and resting side by side. Bart, at 1,100 pounds, is by far the larger of the two. However, as a maturing female designed to care for and defend cubs one day, 800-pound Honey-Bump more than holds her own when play-fighting with her brother.
Both remain equally affectionate toward their surrogate parents, the Seuses. One of the few problems is that gargantuan Little Bart still tries to climb into Doug's lap from time to time, as he did so often as a cub.
Little Bart and Honey-Bump can be seen in the upcoming romantic comedy The Zookeeper, to be released summer 2011.
