马克·杜马斯：我的游泳池里有只北极熊

Some people dream of swimming with dolphins， while others have nightmares about swimming with sharks. But bear trainer Mark Dumas likes nothing more than to go for dip in a swimming pool where he and a 60 stone predator enjoy a watery cuddle together.

Marks unusual best friend is Agee， a full-size adult polar bear who stands at over seven feet when on her hind legs.

And when the wrestling has tired both the animal expert and huge Agee out， they both enjoy a nap together inside Agees enclosure and Agee clamp her huge jaws around Marks head.

It may seem like bear trainer Mark Dumas is risking his life by living with polar bear Agee， but the two share an incredibly intimate bond. Mark has been in the bizarre industry of bear-training for the past 40 years and is an expert at reading Agees body language.

Mark， 60， and wife Dawn， 49， from Abbotsford， British Columbia （BC）， Canada， train the polar bear—the worlds largest land predator—to star in high-budget TV adverts. Agee even appeared in movies like Alaska in 1995 when she was just a few weeks old. With their incredibly intimate bond Agee even bear hugs owner Mark as she rears up on her hind legs to over seven feet.

“If anyone else tried this they would end up as Agees dinner，” said Mark，“The only people in the whole world she likes are me and my wife. I have worked with bears in this way for over 40 years， so I can read Agees body language and know how to behave safely around her. But Agee is the boss and its her rules that count.”

Mark and Dawn took Agee on when she was just eight weeks old. With links to Hollywood through previous work with animals， Mark was approached by director Fraser Heston—the son of screen legend Charlton—16 years ago. Heston needed a polar bear cub for his forthcoming film Alaska and Mark found Agee—a surplus cub at Kolmarden Zoo， Sweden. Mark and Dawn went through a lengthy application to show they had the facilities to care for her. After being approved they transported the tiny cub—seen here at their old family home in Mission， BC， just after her arrival—to Canada.

“She lived inside our home for the first few weeks and we hand-reared her，” said Mark， “Eventually a time came when she was so big we had to move her outside into her own enclosure.” Now Agee spends her time living in her new enclosure on rented land near Mark and Dawns home in Abbotsford， and on the road working on TV and film sets.

At home， Mark enjoys “play time” with her. “Earlier in the morning shes more playful and relaxed and she lets me roll around with her.

“We wrestle for fun and sometimes we fall asleep on her grassy lawn together. Its a great way to unwind after a bad day. I feel pretty privileged to be able to nap with my head resting on a fully-grown polar bear.”

Later in the day—when they are preparing for filming—Mark “works” her， training Agee for the requested script requirements. Agee performs a variety of commands in exchange for her favourite treats—steak， cookies， salmon and chocolates.

On cue from Mark， she rears up on her hind legs and will even pretend shes roaring when instructed to “smile”.“She doesnt actually roar but she makes the action，” said animal handler Dawn. “Film crews will later add in the sound of the roar if thats what they need for their production.”Agee will also lie down， crawl and sit up in return for reward foods.

Agee licks Marks face as they play around on the grass. “She loves her work，” said Mark. “They are extremely intelligent animals and you can see she gets enjoyment out of being stimulated through her work. She could never have lived wild so its important to us that we keep her active and thinking. Thats why I like swimming with her and playing on the lawn.”

In the evenings Agee is fed on mountains of proteinrich salmon， chicken or other meats， along with carbohydrates she gets from high-quality dog food and vitamin supplements.“In the wild she would be eating seal but we cant buy that so we have to try and replicate a fat-rich diet，” said Mark.“Because they scavenge in the summer—when they are off the sea ice and on dry land—they have very adaptable diets.

Amazingly， Agee seems to have favourites between men and women. “She gets very jealous of other women talking to Mark，” said Dawn. “Shes happy with me doing it but if any other women are around she gets very possessive of him.”

This is exactly what its like to share your life with a polar bear.

有人夢想与海豚同游，也有人做过与鲨共泳的噩梦。但驯熊师马克·杜马斯最爱和一只60英石重的食肉动物一起泡在游泳池里，享受在水中依偎的感觉。

马克与众不同的挚友艾吉是一只完全长成的雌性成年北极熊，她用后腿站立时超过七英尺高。

当这位动物专家和大块头的艾吉在水中嬉闹较劲得累坏以后，艾吉会用她的巨大爪子环抱着马克的头，他们一起在艾吉的围场里享受午觉。

驯熊师马克·杜马斯似乎在拿自己的生命和北极熊艾吉同居，但其实他们的关系亲密得令人难以置信。马克在非同寻常的驯熊业从业已有40年，他对艾吉的身体语言了如指掌。

60岁的马克及其49岁的妻子唐恩来自加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省（简称卑诗省）阿伯茨福德，他们共同驯养这世界上最大的陆地食肉动物——北极熊，使其出演高成本电视广告。甚至在1995年的《阿拉斯加》这样的电影里也有艾吉的身影，当年她才几周大。由于艾吉和主人马克的亲密关系，七英尺多高的艾吉甚至会用后腿直立起来给马克来个熊抱。

“其他人如果尝试这个举动，他们最终会沦为艾吉的晚餐。”马克说，“这个世界上艾吉只喜欢我和我妻子。我和熊像这样共处已经40多年了，所以我能读懂艾吉的身体语言，知道在她身边什么行为是安全的。但艾吉是老大，她‘说了算。”

艾吉八周大的时候，马克和唐恩就开始饲养她。由于马克先前有过为好莱坞作品训练动物的经验，16年前，银幕传奇人物查尔顿的儿子弗雷泽·赫斯顿导演联系了马克。赫斯顿的新电影《阿拉斯加》需要一只北极熊幼崽，而马克在瑞典的科尔马尔登动物园找到了一只多出来的幼崽艾吉。历经了冗长的申请流程，马克和唐恩证明了自己有条件照顾艾吉。申请通过以后，他们把这只幼崽送到加拿大——刚抵达就送到马克的老家，卑诗省的米逊。

“最初几周她住在我们家里，我们亲手把她带大。”马克说，“最终她长得太大了，我们只好让她搬出去住在她自己的围场里。”现在马克和唐恩在阿伯茨福德的家旁边租了一块地，建了新围场，艾吉生活在这里，并在参与影视剧作的拍摄。

在家时，马克很享受和艾吉一起的“玩耍时光”。“早上的时候她更加爱玩和放松，她还让我和她一起打滚。”

“我们玩摔跤，有时候我们会在她的草坪上一起入睡。如果经历了不愉快的一天，这是很棒的放松方式。能把头靠在一只成年的北极熊身上打盹，对此我感到挺荣幸的。”

午后——当他们为拍电影做准备时——马克会“逗”她，训练她达到电影剧本的要求。艾吉执行各种各样的指令来换取她最喜欢的食物——牛排、小甜饼、三文鱼和巧克力。

根据马克的提示，艾吉會用后腿站起来，甚至会在被命令“微笑”时假装咆哮。“她不是真的咆哮，只是做个假动作。”驯兽师唐恩说。“如果制片需要的话，电影剧组后期制作时会加上咆哮音效。”吃了奖励的食物，艾吉也会相应地做躺下、爬行和端坐的动作作为回馈。

马克和艾吉在草地上玩耍时，艾吉会舔他的脸。“艾吉爱她的工作。”马克说道。“北极熊是高智商的动物，你会发现她在工作的时候很享受被激励的感觉。她从不曾有机会过原始的生活，所以我们让她保持活跃、保持思考很重要。这就是我喜欢和她游泳和在草坪上玩耍的原因。”

晚上他们给艾吉喂大量的高蛋白质三文鱼、鸡肉或者其他肉类，连同高质量的狗粮一起，让她补充碳水化合物，还有维生素增补剂。“在野外生存的话她会吃海豹，但我们买不到，所以只能尝试复制高脂肪的食谱。”马克说道。“因为夏天北极熊离开冰面上陆地的时候以腐肉为食，所以他们的饮食习惯适应性很强。”

令人惊讶的是艾吉对人类似乎有性别偏好。“她会很妒忌其他女人和马克说话。”唐恩说道。“她乐意看到我和马克说话，但要是有其他女人在，她对马克的占有欲就变得很强了。”

这就是和一只北极熊共同生活的体验。